


Random Mythological One Shots

by JustSomeBoredNerd



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Why am I still doing this?, just a bunch of one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2020-12-31 06:48:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21104141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeBoredNerd/pseuds/JustSomeBoredNerd
Summary: This is just gonna be where I place random one shots that I write when I'm bored. The titles of the chapters are/is the main character/s that is/are centered around the chapter. The ones titled like "Odysseus and Diomedes" are just those two interacting with each other (either being besties or sworn enemies) while the ones like "Odysseus x Diomedes" are actual ships and include romantic stuff (no smut, lemons and such tho, I can't write porn)I swear my writing kinda gets better as time goes on? Just be wary of, you know, how fucked up various myths can be.





	1. Athena & Apollo

Athena watched from the sidelines as the gods were having the time of their lives, laughing under the serene midnight sky. Despite the incident that had killed the mood a few minutes ago, the party seemed to be back in full swing.

As usual, Aphrodite and Dionysus were the center of attention, singing, dancing, and winking at anyone they made eye contact with. Artemis was having fun doing trick shots with her bow and beating the shit out of anyone that dared to flirt with her. Even Hades actually looked happy for once. The Lord of the underworld laughed as he and the rest of his siblings drank the night away, occasionally smiling at Persephone who always smiled back. Same thing with Hephaestus who was spending some quality time with his wife, Aglaia. Meanwhile Ares and Hermes were wrestling for a forest nymph _(Something I didn't bother to watch for obvious reasons)_, and Apollo...wasn't singing with the muses.

_ That's strange...hmmm_

Feeling bored and having nothing better to do she left the garden, the main venue of the wedding, and started heading towards the throne room. The halls were mostly silent for once, which was nice. She didn't encounter anyone else until she finally saw the blonde leaning on a certain balcony. It was the same balcony that her father usually stood on because looking down from it felt like you owned everything that the light touched.

"You still salty about the golden apple?" He asked.

She resisted the urge to laugh. Aside from being mildly disappointed,_ (I mean out of all of the choices that you had, you picked the woman that was already married to the brother of the king of Mycenae? I overestimated you) _she couldn't care less about whoever got that accursed fruit.

"Paris may have chosen Aphrodite's bribe." Athena said, walking over to stand next to him. "But in doing so he's going to doom his entire country into the greatest siege in recorded history."

"Yeah well, that's Paris for you. Don't worry Athe if I were him, I would've definitely chosen yours."

"Well of course you would think that. After all, you choose what you don't have."

"Hey!"

"Besides, if you had chosen Aphrodite's then the poor girl would've just ended up turning into a plant."

"I was trying to cheer you up and this is what you do to me?"

"So, you admit that what I just said is true?"

He had his hand over his chest as if he was offended but his smile told her otherwise, which was much better than blankly staring at nothing.

"Though, now that I think about it." Athena contiued. "When I said that Paris was going to doom his entire country, I don't truly believe it. The Trojans can just force him to give Helen back to Menelaus."

"As if that's enough to convince Agamemnon. Plus, I already saw them burn, Athena. Several times actually."

_ Oh, visions. Does he know that father...?_

"Hector exists, doesn't he? Sure, so does Achilles but in all honestly he's more likely to be a liability rather than a benefit, especially with Agamemnon as the head of their army."

"Aren't you supposed to be on their side?"

"Only because of Odysseus and Diomedes really."

Apollo stifled another laugh, but now his smile felt a little...off. Something else was bothering him.

"Father planned all of this, didn't he?" He asked.

_ Ah. He knows._

"Not exactly, but he did want Troy to fall so I guess when he saw the opportunity to hand Paris the golden apple, knowing that doing so would most likely make Aphrodite bribe him with the most beautiful girl in the world..."

"Huh..."

"Apollo-"

"Yeah, Yeah I know. He didn't bother to tell me that he was planning on making Troy fall because he knows that if I knew I'd be against it and shit. So what?"

He stared down into the massive expanse of land below them, a breathtaking view of their world under the moonlight.

"It doesn't matter." He continued. "I'm totally still his favorite son."

"You know he's only being cautious, albeit sometimes maybe too cautious."

"You think? He almost threw me into Tartarus once! It's just... I just..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but she knew exactly what he meant.

_I think he loves me but I'm also aware that he won't hesitate to skin me alive the second I do something he doesn't like. Does he love me?_

"All because of a prophecy..."

The prophecy...the prophecy that Zeus would be dethtoned by one of his own sons. It had been so long since the day Ouranos and Gaia had whispered that thought into his head, the same thought that had made him swallow her mother...

"Do you hate him?" She asked.

"I don't know Athena...I don't know anything anymore..."

Apollo was still smiling when he said that, it's a bad habit of his. He smiles way too much.

"...It's alright. I-" "I'm not sure either."

He turned to look at her, surprised.

"I used to respect him, but now even I...Even I'm not so sure anymore. He's not the best but he's also not all bad and...who can even take his place?"

The goddess already knew the answer though, and so did he. However, now was not the time for that conversation. With a flick of her hand she summoned her spear and slung her shield over her back.

"Athe, no matter how much I try, you know I don't stand a chance against you in close combat-"

"I never said long ranged weapons were prohibited. Father invited almost every single deity to Thetis and Peleus' wedding in Olympus. Excluding the mortals, the rest of Greece should be fairly empty right now."

"...Are you suggesting a duel where we hold nothing back?"

"Aside from me not using any of father's lightning, yes. You look like you could use one."

"...Did you just insult me by calling me out of shape or am I just overthinking this and you're just genuinely trying to cheer me up?"

"Maybe both."

After a few moments or so of nothing but the faint echoes of drunken laughter, the god summoned his signature bow and wore his golden quiver. Taking one last glance behind them to make sure no one was watching; they went over the railing. The goddess couldn't help but faintly smile as she saw the determined look in his sapphire eyes.

_ Now there's the arrogant bastard that I know._

Enjoying the scenery wasn't the only thing Athena loved to do on this balcony.

"Mt. Othrys?"

"Mt. Othrys."

And so, they jumped off, straight into the abandoned ruins of a golden age long forgotten.

:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:—:  
((Bonus:

Making sure that he didn't forget to wear anything, Hermes left his room and started walking around the silent halls. He and the nymph had already exchanged goodbyes a few minutes ago. It was still pretty dark out, which he didn't find that surprising. After all, loving a god is a good time, not a long one. Though, something was bugging him.

_ Wonder where goldie is. I haven't seen him during the entire second half of the party._

Then there was a sound, many sounds. It was really faint, but the messenger god was certain that he had heard what seemed to be some sort of battle taking place. I mean, his ears could understand secrets being whispered from miles and miles away. He decided to follow the noise until it led him to one of the palace's balconies.

His eyes were just as good as his hearing, so when he looked down he saw a fight even more breathtaking than the scenery around it.

_ Well, I guess I know where he is now._

"Hermes?"

"Huh what-" "Oh Artemis! What're you doing here?"

"I was just trying to look for my idiot twin when I saw you here staring into the abyss."

The god pointed towards the mountain that was littered with hundreds of spears and golden arrows. There in the midst of Mt. Othrys' ruins were Apollo and Athena, dueling as if they actually wanted to kill each other.

"Oh, there he is! No wonder you were staring."

"Hey, it's not every day that you get to see one of us, an Olympian, fight seriously without having some giant or titan trying to kill you."

"And by Olympian you mean him specifically-"

"Actually, now that I think about it, how come I haven't seen you and Apollo have a duel before. That would be really interesting don't you think?"

"A fair duel between us is impossible. If we battle during the day, he'll have the advantage and if we battle during the night then I'll have the advantage. Besides, even if it was possible do you really think that we aren't going to try and sabotage each other?"

"Good point."

"...Gods just kiss him already."

"Shut up!"


	2. Athena and Apollo (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my friends said that I should write an Eros x Psyche one next after that first one shot but uh...well Idk why but I made this instead. Guess my bias is really showing huh? Besides, no one is writing about these two interacting that much soooo

Under the cover of darkness, only barely illuminated by the faint glow of their eyes, were two figures leaning on a balcony that overlooked the ruins of Othrys. The rest of their colleagues were busy getting blackout drunk in Olympus’ garden. It was another party; except this time, they were celebrating the anniversary of Zeus’ victory over Kronos.

“You know,” he said. “If we keep on sneaking out during an event like this, some of them are going to start thinking we’re having an affair or something.”

“Well it’s not my fault sex is the only thing that’s always on all of your minds.”

Apollo shoot her a look and Athena stifled a laugh. Taking one last glance behind them to make sure no one was watching; they went over the railing and jumped off, landing right in the middle of the abandoned castle on Greece’s second tallest mountain.

If one paid close attention to the remains of those towering columns and mighty slabs of black, they were all filled with cuts and bruises that were far too fresh to have come from their father’s 10-year war with the titans. Athena couldn’t help but smile a little when she touched one of the most recent of those cracks. After all, these battles had been one of the most fun she’s ever had. Though, she also couldn’t help but feel mildly frustrated by its victor, which was none because it had always resulted in a tie. But hey, maybe today was going to be different.

Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.

**⋅**•**⋅****⊰**∘**⊱****⋅**•**⋅**

Exhausted, but still pumping with adrenaline, the pair sat down on what’s left of the palace steps.

“So” The god said, summoning two glasses of nectar, one in each hand. “What is it this time?”

“Well… Look, we need to talk. While father’s still busy flexing and bonding with his siblings...”

“Mm… Sounds a little treasonous.”

_ A little is an understatement._ She thought.

With each passing second, the drinks grew colder and colder as they slowly got infused with some of the golden god’s prowess in healing. He offered one to Athena and, after a quiet “Cheers” and the soft chime of their cups, they both took a shot. What little injuries they sustained from their duel immediately began to fade away.

The goddess couldn’t help but think back to something she had said during Peleus and Thetis’ wedding_._

_ "I used to respect him, but now even I…Even I’m not so sure anymore. He’s not the best but he’s also not all bad and…who can even take his place?” _

She always knew the answer to that question, she knew Apollo did too, and now she wanted them to finally confront it. 

“Are you satisfied with how everything is?” She asked.

It didn’t take long for her half-brother to understand what she meant.

“I mean…It’s not like there’s much that we can do about it. Besides, you know how the last one went.”

“That’s because all we did was trap him in some really strong bonds and demand that he does a better job. Now, what if…”

“You-” “You don’t mean…”

“…would you rather we not do that?”

“I-” “I don’t know. I don’t like him but that doesn’t mean I feel comfortable with the thought of getting rid of him.”

“I never said-”

“Athe, you out of all people should know that if we ever do that, he’s never going to willingly give up on his… position. That, no matter how much we screw him over, as long as he’s still alive, he’ll stop at nothing to get his throne back.”

Athena tried to respond, but her voice quickly trailed off, and then all of a sudden, she was silent. She gazed up into the starry abyss, her eyes glancing from one constellation and to the next.

_Ursa Major __<strike>Callisto</strike>__ and Ursa Minor __<strike>Arcas</strike>_

_ Perseus and then Taurus _ _ <strike>Io and Europa </strike> _

The goddess couldn’t help but think back to those times when Athena didn’t exist yet, when she was but a mere thought in someone’s head, an imaginary friend. Amalthea the goat… the dancing Kouretas… the days were her father was but a mere toddler… the days before the lightning bolts and the days before he wore his cursed crown.

_ Will I even continue to exist once he fades? After all, despite finally having a body, deep down inside all I am is just the personification of his wisdom._

“…Athena?” Apollo asked, a little concerned.

“Apollo… Apollo I don’t want to get rid of him…” He heard her mutter, barely louder than a whisper. “I want things to change but-” “but at the same time I don’t?”

At first the god said nothing, and simply wrapped an arm around her shoulder, but something was bothering him.

“The fact that you’re even talking about all of this, unless you want Poseidon to be the next king… Don’t tell me you actually trust me to...?”

“Well, I know that there won’t be nearly as much poor girls getting murdered by a jealous queen if you do, that’s for sure. Though I don’t blame you for not fully believing in yourself. Honestly, I don’t either.”

_Ouch. _The god thought. _She could’ve at least tried to sugarcoat it a little. _

“See, the problem is that I also don’t want all of that responsibility.” She said, wiping something out of her eye with her thumb. “I suppose we could try sharing the throne.”

_“_Wait-What?” He asked, almost choking on his drink.

“You know, maybe instead of one leader/king and their consort in charge of a country, it’s two separate leaders of equal power and status running a country together. Of course, minus the consorts considering how indecisive you are and how picky I am…”

“Ah. That would take a lot of effort to change the system...”

_For a second there I thought that… Okay Apollo no, just no what in the actual fuck_

“…I just realized that you haven’t even drained your cup and yet your face is already all flushed-”

“Athena I’m not drunk. You know I’m not a lightweight.”

The goddess narrows her eyes but, to her brother’s relief, she decides to change the topic.

“Now that I think about it, if we were to share the throne… what would our titles be?”

“I mean, we could technically just keep it as King and Queen. Then again, if that were the case then when the other pantheons first hear about the two of us becoming King and Queen they might go ‘Wait what, did they marry each other!?’” 

Athena immediately made a face of disgust.

“Wooowww” Apollo said, looking mildly offended, but it wasn’t that hard to tell that he was trying not to laugh. “I mean I don’t want to marry you either but still, you make it look like being with me is a bad thing!”

And so, they continued to drink the night away, completely submerged in a world of what-ifs. Eventually, before dawn breaks and before they actually got drunk, the two turned into a pair of birds and flew back onto Mt. Olympus_._

“Hey” Apollo said, just as they’ve shapeshifted back and their feet have landed on familiar stairs. “No matter what happens and whatever bullshit we end up doing-”

“I know, I know. I’ll always have you, Artemis, Hermes, and the muses etc. You don’t have to get all cheesy and emotional.” Athena replied, her voice sounding extremely annoyed, and yet her expression told him otherwise. “…Thank you.”

The god smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious why blondie over here was blushing, it was because the first thing that he thought of when Athena first mentioned sharing the throne was marriage which, you know as you can see he immediately went 'wait what no wtf me'.  
Speaking of marriage and love related stuff, as much as I stan this friendship, I don't really know if they'd actually work in a relationship. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...  
Nah I probably won't that. Wholesome besties for the win


	3. Apollo and Artemis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now this is a little different from the previous two. There might be more random bullshit like this in the future. Idk I was bored and tired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first set of dialog is said by Apollo, then Artemis, then Apollo, and then Artemis, etc.

  
“Do you still remember that fateful day?  
In the island of Delos, on the seventh day of the Thargelion  
The day of my birth,   
The day where it all began?”

“I remember   
I remember wrapping you in cloth, cradling you close to my chest  
How you opened your eyes, and inhaled your first breath  
I remember flowers springing out of the ground, as you sang your first song   
I remember the dark night giving way to starry dawn, as you danced your first dance”

“Do you still remember that fateful day?   
In the island of Delos, on the eight day of the Thargelion  
The day after my birth,   
Where we had not a care in the world?”

“I remember  
I remember making our first bows, and sharpening our first arrows  
How we would run through the woods, and see who could hit the most targets   
I remember laying down on the grass, listening to your mellifluous song  
As I breath in the fresh air, rich with the smell of dirt and the scent of wild flowers  
We would argue over who was the older twin, and have long water fights, wrestling in the river  
Then climb the tallest tree and watch the sun go down as we took in the breathtaking view  
Things were much simpler back then,   
We were so happy  
So free…”

“Do you still remember that fateful day?   
In the home of the everlasting gods, on the ninth day of the Thargelion  
Two days after my birth,   
Where everything started to change, for the better and for the worse?”

“I remember  
I remember sitting on father’s lap as he introduced us to the rest of the Olympian council   
I remember being toured and guided around the palace by Iris,  
How we talked and played with Ares and Persephone”

“But you didn’t stay for long”

“No, no I didn’t.   
Despite how beautiful it was and how nice most of the gods were  
I couldn’t help but feel…unwelcome   
Like I didn’t belong  
So, eventually I left.”

“And so, you did  
That was when we began to drift apart  
Our worlds were so different, too different  
For you the tall mountains and the endless stretches of wilderness,  
Your hunters the main source of human contact  
For me, snowy capped Olympus,   
The home of the everlasting gods  
I barely saw you  
And you barely saw me  
And I…  
I missed you”

“And so, you did  
Maybe a little too much”

“…”

“Do you still remember that fateful day?  
In the depths of the vast forest, decades after your birth   
Where you said there was a tiny point in the horizon,   
A moving target that you couldn’t hit?”

“…I remember  
I remember the day I first saw him with you  
Two skilled hunters roaming hillside, smiling and laughing as they shot down their prey  
I couldn’t help but feel…furious  
Then, before I knew it…cradled in your arms, was a dead body  
The body of a hunter with a silver arrow lodged in its throat  
You were so pissed, and for good reason  
I convinced myself that I was doing what I was doing to protect your vows  
That what I did was perfectly justifiable   
I still remember the words that you yelled  
Forever echoing in my head…  
I-I’m sorry  
Arty I’m so sorry-”

“It’s okay brother, that was in the past  
You know I’ve already forgiven you”

“Have you really?”

“…”

“Artemis…  
Gods…Artemis, I need to tell you something”

“?”

“I convinced myself that I did what I did to protect your vows  
But somewhere deep inside of me knew that that wasn’t the main reason at all  
It was more than just an overprotective brother  
I…I was jealous”

“…”

“I know that sounds ridiculous but just, hear me out for a second here  
Do you still remember those fateful days?  
Those dark, dark times where we barely spoke  
And when we did  
When I did come to visit you  
You were always so…  
Dismissive”

“What!”

“Don’t act surprised Arty  
You’ve always been open about your disdain for me”

“Disdain?!”

“Well what else is it then?  
Do you remember?  
‘Apollo, no’  
‘Go away Apollo’  
‘Gods, Apollo can’t you just shut up for once?!’  
I remember seeing that look on your face  
You think I’m a challenging presence to be around, and that’s putting it lightly  
You never come to visit unless you need something from me”

“I don’t visit you only when I need something!   
You’re being more irritating than usual”

“That’s me  
Irritating  
Annoying  
Useless” 

“I never said you were useless”

“I know  
Maybe you just think I’m over reacting  
Knowing my   
Pathetic, dramatic and emotional ass   
I probably am  
But   
Just  
Just listen to me for once”

“…I’m listening”

“…Do you still remember those fateful days?  
In the depths of the vast forest, decades after my birth   
Where two skilled hunters were roaming the hillside  
Smiling and laughing as they shot down their prey  
He was so happy  
You were so happy  
I remember feeling furious  
Jealous   
I hated it   
I hated seeing you two together   
It reminded me of us  
It reminded me of simpler times  
It wasn’t fair  
Then, before I knew it…cradled in your arms, was a dead body  
The body of a hunter with a silver arrow lodged in its throat  
You were so pissed, and for good reason  
I remember convincing myself that I was doing what I was doing to protect your vows  
I remember thinking that what I did was perfectly justifiable   
But now I’m sure that I was wrong  
And now  
Still, to this day  
I remember the words that you yelled   
Forever echoing in my head…  
I-I’m sorry  
I was an entitled, controlling, little bitch  
Probably still am  
As much as I try to seem like the conflicted good guy or whatever bullshit I try to make myself believe in  
I’m just an extremely biased and prideful god  
Just like the rest of us   
Consistently   
Smiling  
Egotistical   
Flashy   
And   
Shallow”

“…”

“…I’m sorry  
Gods I’m a horrible older brother-  
Actually, wait no  
I should probably stop saying that…”

“I actually don’t mind that too much”

“Wait what”

“Yeah  
Especially when I see everyone else’s confused reaction   
To hearing you call me both older and younger sister  
When they know that you can’t lie  
It’s rather amusing”

“…”

“Do you still remember what I swore on that fateful day?  
In the island of Delos, on the seventh day of the Thargelion  
I’m not sure if you heard it, what I muttered under my breath,   
That the only man I’ll ever love was the one I was cradling close to my chest”

“…I remember,   
Or at least now I do”

“Good  
This time try not to forget it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone confused about when Arty said,
> 
> "Especially when I see everyone else’s confused reaction   
To hearing you call me both older and younger sister  
When they know that you can’t lie"
> 
> I have this headcannon that in their mom’s womb, Apollo materialized first then followed by Artemis. So since later, Arty was born nine days earlier than Apollo…In a way, they can both be considered as the older twin. It just depends on your point of view. So yeah


	4. Apollo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yeah the bias is definitely showing now. Basically this one is just the start of that one Apollo based fic I kind of wanted to write that one time but never got around to even getting done half way. Hey, who knows, maybe I'll get around to actually continue it one day
> 
> Also by the start of the fic I mean just like, the beginning of the first chapter

**…**

**…**

**…**

“Apollo”

‘!’

Something had awoken then, and darkness was all its eyes could see. Yet, despite this it wasn’t frightened. It was as if that somehow, inside this warm enclosed space, he knew he was safe. Then, there came another name, from the same soothing voice that had awoken him in the first place. 

“Artemis”

He was suddenly made aware of the pair of feet in front of his face, and so he eagerly kicked back.

“Oh-” “Oh my fates! You two are but a mere babe and yet, I can already feel your prowess…”

Fortunately, the voice let out a laugh, which was enough to distract these two entities and prevent them from trying to wrestle each other.

“You are certainly going to grow up to be someone very special,

my precious twins”

...

The first few months of his existence weren’t very eventful, though that isn’t to say nothing happened. There were some points of interest, like the many things his mother and her relatives often talked about. It ranged from helpful life advice to stories of myth and legends, and the occasional tea spill.

However, the same can’t be said about the last remaining weeks of his mother’s pregnancy. It happened, if this boy’s counting was right, in the dead of night. About seven months after the day he first heard his name, he heard a voice, but this time it was…different somehow, _very different._ The greeting spoken by this creature was already a little alarming in itself but its voice, oh its voice… I’m not sure how to describe it, if I even can describe it. The stutters, the sneers and its hiss… Every syllable it spoke made Apollo’s skin crawl. It was as if this thing was inside the womb too, discordantly whispering these words into his ear.

He felt his mom, Leto, stiffen and so did the usually pushy Artemis. It was followed by a yell, and then all of a sudden, they were moving. His mother was now running for her life, desperately heaving, heart fiercely and rapidly beating. According to her, when she eventually opened up to her twins about that stressful month, she had just entered labor and was supposed to give birth. Unfortunately, every time she managed to temporarily outrun whatever was chasing her, the land she sat on would shake and tremble.

“I’m so sorry my Lady.” One of the lesser earth deities who had denied her rest said, bowing their head a little, almost sounding like they were ashamed of themselves. “But you are banned from giving birth on terra firma. All solid ground with roots in the earth is forbidden to accept you. The queen decrees it.”

No matter how much she asked, they would not budge. The most she’d get was a stuttering apology.

Now obviously the twins were absolutely livid. Their mother was in so much pain and they couldn’t do anything about it. This was an insult to her name, to all of their names and they fucking despised it. Though, Apollo also couldn’t help but be more than a little…fascinated by all of this. After all, he heard a lot gossip from mother’s various conversations with her sister. I mean, if there’s one thing that almost all of the immortals share it’s that they’re all a bunch of tattletales. For Hera to go through this much trouble just to make sure Leto didn’t give birth… 

Despite Apollo’s mother never directly talking about the father, her son now had a good guess on the identity of his other biological parent. Of course, rumors are still just rumors, and he’d still need to wait for further evidence to fully confirm the hypothesis.

Anyway, Leto’s little game of tag went on for weeks on end, but not once did she ever give up, determined to give birth to her children. She continued to run, shapeshifting multiple times in order to hide and/or stay ahead of her pursuer. Eventually it came to a point where, suddenly of nowhere, the wind had literally swept her off her feet. It was shortly followed by a voice as sharp as freshly cut ice.

“Calm down and be merry” He said, barely louder than a whisper. “Your wandering will finally come to an end for the king has found a loophole.”

And so, for a while she floated until the air had gently set her down on a different patch of land.

“Welcome to Delos.” And with that the frigid breeze was gone.

At first, she was confused, but as the land she stood on slowly rocked back and forth like a ship, she quickly understood. This island was no ordinary island, that is if you can even really call it that.

“Le…to?”

Apollo felt like he had already heard that voice before, but he wasn’t quite sure on who exactly it was. For some reason his mother didn’t really acknowledge it, perhaps thinking that she had just hallucinated it. Besides, there were some more pressing matters that had to be dealt with.

“Hear me, Delos, the drifting isle.” She began. “Please I beg of you, allow me to rest and give birth on your shore. You aren’t like the others; Hera’s rule doesn’t apply to you. Think about it, if you do this you will have not just one, but two gods that will always be in your favor. Your name will be praised and remembered in history as the sacred birthplace of my twins, Lord Apollo and Lady Artemis.”

The island nymphs and the rest of its inhabitants consented.

Arty came out quickly. Her brother? Not so much.

“Artemis…Artemis oh Artemis! I-I can’t…He won’t come out.”

“Mother, you can do this. You have to do this! I believe in you.”

...

_Now sing, O goddess, of Leto’s brilliant son, a favorite of the King of gods. Sing of him, the far-shooter who punishes the wicked and overbearing, and the foreseeing god who affords help and wards off evil. He, the leader of the muses and the patron of the arts, who protects herds of cattle, and delights in the foundation of towns. Recite, O Muse, his story from the beginning until the present hour, the tale of Phoebus Apollo, the lord of the rising sun._

_..._

**⋅****∙****∘**☽**༓**☾**∘****∙****⋅**

#  **1**

**∙****∘**☽**༓**☾**∘****∙**

_Before the world knew my name_

_I was so foolish and young_

_Ignorant of what’s to come_

_..._

_ <strike>Zvtlaptlz P dpzo P ulcly dvrl bw ha hss</strike> _

...

**…**

**…**

_Darkness turns into light which then turns into me sitting on an endless meadow with a giant sun in the sky directly above my head. Now I have no clue on what the actual fuck is going on. At first, I thought that this might be the outside world, that I had finally been born! I mean it seems to fit with mother’s descriptions of it, and there’s even a nice summer breeze. However, something feels a little...off. _

_I look around and soon realize that there are four beings sitting in front of me and for some reason I get this really nice feeling in my chest when I see them. They’re all about the same height as I am, but then in a blink of an eye they’re suddenly much taller and older. Two are young men. One has brown curls, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The other has long black hair, a lopsided grin plastered onto his face. Two are young women. One is a raven-haired lady, with stormy eyes that stared into my own. Meanwhile, the other has hair so blonde it might as well have been as white as snow, with eyes as dark as the midnight sky. For some reason the latter felt oddly... familiar. _

_Then, I knew. _

_Artemis!_

_I don’t know how I know it was her. _

_I just know. _

_I reach out to touch her, but before I could the environment shifts and the four beings fizzle out of existence._

_And then, it’s back to darkness, or so I thought._

_…_

_…_

_…_

The first thing Apollo saw when he was born were a pair of eyes as dark as the sky above them, and they belonged to a young girl with long blonde hair.

He tried to touch her face, but his arms were too short. The fact that he was wrapped in some sort of blanket cocoon didn’t really help either. Upon seeing his failed attempt to poke her, Artemis broke into one of the cutest and most genuine smiles he will ever see, but then all of a sudden, she frowned.

“He-” “Hey it’s alright Pollo.” She said, wiping away something that was trailing down his cheek, probably just a random raindrop or something. The kid never really gave any attention to that and was more focused on his twin’s calming voice. “The creature that was making all of those hissing noises is gone now. Mother’s okay. She’s alive and well, albeit extremely exhausted. The others are helping her clean up.”

He tilted his head to the side and sure enough, out of the corner of his eyes he saw a couple of goddesses assisting a very tired Leto. Despite the immense amount of ichor on the lower half of her body. She seems happy, I think. It was a little blurry since his mind was still reeling from the mess that was his first vision.

He needed to focus though. What happens now? Wouldn’t Hera still be pissed at them? I have a strong feeling that she’s not the type to let go of a grudge so easily.

Once they were done cleaning up, Artemis carefully placed him into his mother’s arms.

“Apollo…” he heard her lovingly murmur.

Then there was a different voice, ancient and calm.

“Here, drink this.”

It came from a Titan who introduced herself as Lady Themis. In her hand she held a cup and gently pressed its brim onto the baby’s lips. It was filled with this strange amber liquid. Apollo was a little reluctant at first, but since neither Leto or Artemis was doing anything to stop it, he eventually drank.

The second he took a sip; all of his senses were enhanced a hundredfold. He laughed as he felt an unending rush of energy flow within his veins. It was like hearing his name except a thousand more times exhilarating. Apollo grabbed the cup and finished that sweet delectable drink down to the very last drop. Before he knew it, the infant had now grown into a toddler.

Themis took back the goblet, which was followed by Leto pulling both of the twins into one big hug. When she eventually let go, Apollo couldn’t help but get distracted by the absolute beast of a mountain in the background. It was so tall that it pierced through the clouds, and an enormous and glorious white palace sat on its peak. His mom noticed him staring and gave a hesitant smile.

“That’s Mt. Olympus. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

That wasn’t all. Somehow, he also managed to see a tall bearded man standing on one of its balconies, a crown of lightning on top of his head. His sky-blue eyes were staring right at him, and despite the smile adorning the man’s face, he couldn’t help but feel mildly intimidated. He then mouthed something to him, and it was then that he knew what he had to do. Apollo needed to impress them. The twins needed to impress them. It was the best way to guarantee their mother’s safety and make sure that they lived the best lives that they could’ve possibly lived. He looked at Artemis. She was much shorter than his dream version of her, though still annoyingly taller than him.

“Being a minor deity isn’t enough.” He murmured. “We need to become one of them. We need to have a throne on Olympus”

Arty raised an eyebrow.

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

A small grin creeped into his lips. He was a hundred times more confident now that he knew what his voice sounded like. Thus, began the search for their spheres of influence, that is the things a deity represents, has control over, and is responsible for.


	5. Apollo and Marsyas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you know this myth already, then you know that there might be a little bit of gore in the end. Aside from that, as usual there might be some tiny grammatical errors here and there

I suppressed a laugh. Athena raised an eyebrow and took a quick glance down at her reflection in the water. She frowned; immediately the music stopped. Before I knew it, the flute was thrown off Olympus.

“Well, that’s a shame.” I said. “What a waste of a newly invented instrument”

The goddess gave me a look of disgust.

“I didn’t like the distortions it made on my face.”

“You mean how you puffed up your cheeks whenever you played? I dunno, it didn’t look _that _bad to me. Plus, the music was great! Although I suppose it did look mildly…amusing.”

As always, her glare could’ve left someone scarred for life. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

…

The flute tore through the sky and tumbled towards the earth, landing on Phrygian soil. It was soon discovered by a local satyr; Marsyas was his name.

“What’s this?” He said as he picked it up.

It took him a while to figure out the object’s use, but as soon as he blew into it, already blessed with the breath of an Olympian, the instrument produced the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. Delighted, he was suddenly filled with a newfound conviction.

‘I must share this music with all who are willing to listen.’ He must have thought.

Days turned into weeks, then months, then _years _of practice. By now the satyr had gained quite a cult following, and out of all of the spectators that came to watch him play, someone had caught his eye. Despite how rarely he saw them, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get them out of his mind. He imagined them to be a young maiden, perhaps even a mortal princess? Can you believe it, Marsyas? A pretty young woman going through all the trouble of sneaking out of her father’s house just to hear a glimpse of your song.

The next time they came to see him, he wasted no time in trying to talk and maybe even flirt. The longer he conversed with them, the more infatuated he became with their smile. Meanwhile, his crush seemed amused by his advances; _extremely_ amused.

“Trust me when I say that there is no other musician who lives on this earth who will sing a sweeter melody in your name, my love. Not even Apollo himself could compare to the songs that my flute will sing in your honor.”

But not anymore. Their smile didn’t fade, but it did start to become a little... _strained_.

“I’m flattered, I really am.” They said. “But you must really refrain from saying such… blasphemous things.”

Marsyas only laughed. 

“But it’s true! Do you not believe me? You cannot deny my talent that which drew you and so many others to listen to my music.” He smiled, but they only frowned. “What’s with that look? Are you afraid that he will strike me down?”

“Stop. That isn’t funny. A mortal can never compare to any of the immortal gods, much less the ones who dwell in Olympus.”

The satyr then exclaimed in the loudest voice he could muster.

“Let it be known that I, Marsyas, herby challenge Apollo, the god of music, to a contest to prove once and for all who is the more skilled musician!”

His companion stared at him in shock. Slowly, their frown turned into a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, oh my. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such arrogance like this since…”

They suddenly took a step forward and with one hand grabbed his jaw; holding it in a way so that his eyes stared into their own.

“**_Marsyas_**” The voice that came out was now much lower; far from how a young maiden would sound like. “_Have you not heard of the tales of Arachne nor Salmoneus? I shall give you a second chance. Renounce the challenge.”_

The satyr could barely breathe, and who could blame him? The being that stood in front of him was no mere mortal. Their eyes… _My_ _eyes, _they shone like the finest of sapphires, and my locks looked as if it was as if it were made of real strands of gold. For a moment he glanced down. Instead of seeing the breasts of a woman, the dress hid the body of an athletic young man.

“I-” “I refuse!” Marsyas managed to stutter out. “What reason would you have to ask me to take back what I said? Could it be that you actually feel… threatened by it?”

I resisted the urge to crush his skull and just took a step back, letting go of his jaw.

“Your loss, satyr.” 

It didn’t take long for a crowd to start gathering around us.

“The muses will be the umpires-”

“But-” He tried to interrupt, but I quickly cut him off.

“Don’t worry about any biases they might have towards me. I don’t know about you, but I am of the opinion that they have a greater chance of being fair towards you than any other judge you might pick.”

It was true, and from the frustrated look on his face he must’ve realized it too. Any other judge he might’ve picked might’ve just named me the victor no matter what; fearing my wrath.

“Look at you.” Marsyas started out of nowhere. “Look at how you stand your ground; how proudly you think of yourself. So, what if you have an athletic form carefully sculpted by the hands of the most talented artist? What of the gloriously golden tresses that you call your hair? What of your sparkling eyes and mellifluous voice? All those wonderful talents and features that they love to adore you with are just a mask for an empty hollow husk.”

I blinked. Despite his attempt at an insult, it had also sounded like he had ripped his lines straight out of one of the many hymns dedicated to my praise.

_‘Okay, talking wineskin.’_

“Since I was the one who called for the challenge” He continued. “Let me determine the prize for the victor”

“…Then go on. What’re your conditions?”

“The winner should be able to do whatever he pleased with the loser.”

**…**

I already knew the satyr was good, great even. However, I also knew I could do much better. When my turn was over, we both turned our heads towards the nine judges. Our audience was either crying like they had just lost their philtatos or smiling like they had just successfully rescued them from the underworld. The muses on the other hand, I… I had never seen them so… _conflicted_. I think my heart ran a little faster than what was to be expected, but that didn’t matter. The solution was simple; we’ll have another round.

I played the cithara upside down during the second round, something the satyr could not do with his flute, but that was not all. This time I added my voice as well.

“Wait!” Marsyas exclaimed. “This is a contest comparing each other’s skill with the instrument, not our voices!”

“Oh please, when you blow into your pipes, it might as well be the same as singing”

The nymphs supported my claim, and after briefly glancing at each other, the muses did too. I held in a laugh and continued to play and sing to my heart’s content. My mellifluent, honeyed voice; one of the few powers I was actually born with, something that belonged to me and _only_ to me. When I was done with my song, the winner couldn’t have been more obvious. Of course, that didn’t stop the satyr from complaining. 

“_Enough_.” Euterpe’s voice rang throughout the crowd, silencing everyone, including Marsyas himself. “Even if Phoebus hadn’t played his instrument upside down, nor added his voice to the mix, you still would’ve lost. It was faint and quick, but I still heard it as clear as day. You played one note out of tune.”

You should’ve seen the look on his face, he was absolutely _devastated_. I couldn’t help but pity him a little. That mistake he made most defiantly had something to do with the nervousness that came with going against someone whose status far exceed theirs. If only he had kept his mouth shut, then none of this would’ve ever happened. I would've never had to defend my title as the god of music. Did he actually think that he could've best me? Did he actually think he could do so much better than my _decades_ and _multiple lifetimes_ worth of experience?

“V-” “Very well…” Fear filled the loser’s eyes. “What is it that you would have me do?”

“Aw, no need to be afraid my dear.” I whispered into his ear. “Do you remember the words that you said that started this whole mess? How not even I could compare to the songs that you will sing in my honor? Well, _that_ is what I would like you to do. I would like to give you another chance to prove me wrong by singing to me the most dreadful song anyone could ever hope to imagine while bounded up against a tree.”

At first Marsyas was confused, but it wouldn’t take long for the air to be filled with his horrid cries of surrender and protest.

“No! **NO!**” He screamed. “Why tear me apart?!” He cried. “Oh, I repent! I give in! I lose! I beg of you to forgive me! No pipe is worth this price!”

I stripped the skin from his body; the whole of him was one huge wound. Blood splattered everywhere. The sinews were laid bare, veins naked, quivering and pulsing. You could count his twitching guts and tissues as the sunlight seeped into his ribs. Even the heart shone red in his breast.

The natives of that land all shed their tears for him, the water mixing with his blood. Hence, a new river raced down the gentle banks and carried the cursed pipes towards the open sea. It took the name of Marsyas, the freshest, clearest stream of ancient Phrygia.

Some say I nailed his skin to a pine tree near a lake, others a cave. Another said I had actually made it into a wineskin. Truthfully? Despite being a god of knowledge who never forgets, I don’t quite remember anymore and frankly, I don’t want to. It’s bad enough that I can still hear his scream. It’s bad enough that whenever I played my lyre, I could never get rid of that dreadful song of anguish echoing in the back of my head.

“Apollo...?” I heard one of the muses surrounding me gently ask, maybe it was Calliope. The broken mess that lay on the floor in front of me was the cithara, _my cithara_. Its strings were all broken; I had torn them out.

“I’m-” “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I think I’ll just take a small…break for now.”

Before they could ask any further, I was already gone.


	6. Marsyas x Apollo? (Not rlly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long story short, bestie me "Hey what if the goat didn't have as much hubris?" So now instead of Apollo chasing after someone, for once it's the opposite. It's pretty short btw, only half the og Apollo and Marsyas chap I made. Why did I do this? Why the fuck not. Not like there's much else to do

I suppressed a laugh. Athena raised an eyebrow and took a quick glance at her reflection in the water. She frowned; immediately the music stopped. Before I knew it, the flute was thrown off Olympus.

“Well, that’s a shame.” I said. “What a waste of a newly invented instrument”

The goddess gave me a look of disgust.

“I didn’t like the distortions it made on my face.”

“You mean how you puffed up your cheeks whenever you played? I dunno, it didn’t look _that _bad to me. Plus, the music was great! Although I suppose it did look a little… amusing.”

As always, her glare could’ve left someone scarred for life. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

I peered over the edge and watched as the flute tore through the sky and tumbled towards the earth, landing on Phrygian soil. It was soon discovered by a local satyr, Marsyas.

“What’s this?” He said as he picked it up.

It took him a while to figure out the object’s use, but as soon as he blew into it, already blessed with the breath of an Olympian, the instrument produced the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. Delighted, he was suddenly filled with a newfound conviction.

‘I must share this music with all who are willing to listen.’ He must have thought.

And so, he did.

…

By now the satyr had gained quite a cult following; all sorts of mortals and forest deities had come to listen to him play. Then all of a sudden, during one of his performances, he saw a glimpse of someone with long blonde hair. The second they made eye contact; he couldn’t help but stare. He imagined them to be a young maiden, perhaps even a mortal princess? Can you believe it, Marsyas? A pretty young woman going through all the trouble of sneaking out of her father’s house just to hear a glimpse of your song.

Marsays was more than a little hesitant, but one small step quickly turned into a brisk dance. Before he knew it, he was standing right in front of his new crush; the melody out of his flute being the sweetest it has ever been so far. He pauses, catching his breath, and used this opportunity to speak.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you before.”

They raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

The satyr frowns. “Am I sure? Of course, I’m sure! After all, how could I forget the name of such a pretty lady such as yourself? Even if you were to leave right now, I can assure you that the next time we meet, even if it be a decade later, I would still be able to recognize your face from a mile away.”

They blinked, surprised, and let out the cutest laugh.

“I am but just another entity in your audience; an incredibly diverse audience too.”

He smiled, flattered at how impressed they were.

“I’m just pouring all of my heart into doing what I love to do. Do not doubt me then, when I say that there is no other musician who lives on this earth who will sing a sweeter melody in your name.”

“Oh no, I believe you.” Their voice was much lower now; far from how a young maiden would sound like. “Even the god of music himself will admit, you _do _have talent.”

Slowly their image began to shift and their disguise faded away. When the realization suddenly stuck, Marsyas could barely breathe, and who could blame him? The being that stood in front of him was no mere mortal. Their eyes… _My_ _eyes, _they shone like the finest of sapphires, and my locks looked as if it was as if it were made of real strands of gold.

“M-” “My lord.” He immediately knelt down, something I didn’t expect him to do. It was a little amusing and quite an ego booster, really. “What an honor to have you here.”

“You can stand; no need to be too formal. I only came here to listen after all.”

“You? The god of music, listening to _me_?”

Aw, he’s blushing.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

For a moment he’s silent. Then the satyr stands up, determined.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll try not to disappoint.”

He raised his flute, and continued his song.

Some have said that if it weren’t for Athena, the flute’s melodies wouldn’t have been nearly as magnificent. While I somewhat agree, I think Marsyas deserves a little more credit than that. Such an idea was only further enforced by what I heard in person. Doing what he did must’ve took weeks, months, even _years _of practice and ample amounts of creativity. It is one thing to be born with a honey-toned voice, it is another to sing a complex and mellifluous song.

With a wave of my hand, I summoned my lyre and strummed a chord. He turned to look, but I merely smiled. “Don’t mind me, go on.”

It wasn’t to upstage him; I played with, not against. Even then, my cithara was practically just second voice. The satyr didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed quite ecstatic. The crowd was absolutely entranced. When the melody stopped, they erupted into applause. However, despite how much I enjoyed our performance, music wasn’t the only domain I had to attend to.

“Well, as fun as that was, I believe my time is up.”

He frowned. “Already?”

“Unfortunate, I know.” I felt my gaze soften. “But have heart Marsyas; you’ve caught my interest. I doubt that this’ll be the last time you ever see me. Take it as a promise from a deity who never lies.”

In the blink of an eye, he now had one of the stupidest grins I’ve ever seen.

“Until next time, Marsyas. May my blessing always be with you.” I leaned in and gave him a small kiss. Before he could fully process what had just happened, I was already gone.


	7. Can't I Get a Break? (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, beware of typos. I have no idea how this turned into what it is now, but it is what it is. There might be one or two more parts after this.

Hermes pushed the door open and nearly tripped on one of goldie’s many stray brushes. The floor was also littered with paintings and marble statues of varying shapes and sizes scattered all over.

“Apollo?”

“You need something Herms?”

The blonde was in the corner, sitting down on a cushion, his eyes still focused on the canvas on his lap even when his brother was already standing over him.

“Dude, what’re you doing here? The wedding is about to start!”

“Eh? I thought it wasn’t until two months from now?”

Hermes stared, and wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Look, I don’t know what day you think it is, but I wasn’t lying when I said that the wedding is about to start.”

Apollo frowned, but then laughed when his instincts told him Hermes was telling the truth.

“Ah, shit. The girls are probably wondering where I am-” He immediately stood up and ran off into another room. “You can go on ahead Herm! I swear I’ll catch up.”

When the god took a glance at the painting he left on the cushion, he suddenly understood. It was a work in progress of Asclepius’ worktable covered in ashes.

\---------------------------------

Olympus’ garden was breath-taking; bioluminescent flowers blooming under the moonlight. The gods were having the time of their lives, drunkenly singing under the serene night sky.

Hermes couldn’t help but subtly gaze back at Apollo every now and then. Despite all the fun the sun god was having dancing with the muses, their conversation in the studio made him felt like something was off.

Then someone caught him off guard by wrapping an arm around his shoulder, and he instantly knew who it was the second he smelled the wine in his breath.

“Jealous?~” Dionysus wiggled his eyebrows.

Hermes raised an eyebrow. “Jealous of what?”

Dionysus motions to the muses; it was at that moment that Calliope had her arms wrapped around Apollo’s neck as the god gave her a small kiss. Hermes rolled his eyes, but oh little did he know, he was faintly blushing.

The younger brother sighed.

“Look man, if you’re going to keep this up, then you‘re absolutely _hopeless_. I mean, at this point literally everyone except the distracted dumbass you haven’t confessed to knows that you want a piece of that-”

“Hahahaha, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, have you seen Eris? I heard she wasn’t invited-”

“Hey! Don’t change the subject.” Dionysus glanced back and frowned. “Huh, where’d he go?”

Hermes followed his gaze and sure enough, Apollo was nowhere to be seen; just the muses chatting amongst themselves, along with a few other immortals. The wine god scanned the rest of the guests at the party, and gave his friend a confused look, who just shrugged in response. Then before he knew it, Hermes was being dragged by the arm over to the group of gossiping sisters.

Urania saw them first and waved, while Thalia gave the messenger a knowing grin.

“You looking for Apollo?”

He internally cursed. His brother was right, everyone _did _know. Before he could say a word, his companion answered for him.

“Yeah. Wasn’t he with you guys just a minute ago?”

Melpomene and Polyhymnia gave each other a look, before turning to Calliope. She sighed.

“He said something about taking a break.”

“Apollo? A break?” Dionysus looked up, at the moon. “But it hasn’t even reached midnight yet.”

The goddess’ smile became just a tiny bit strained. “I know.”

Hermes frowned. “Did you manage to catch where he ran off to?”

\---------------------------------

The garden was huge; its depths filled with paths most don’t even know of. Luckily Hermes knew his way around it like the back of his head. After all, he’s got good experience sneaking inside the garden from one of its many secret entrances.

The other deities’ slurred laughter were getting more and more muffled, until it was replaced by the crickets and the foliage crunching under his steps. Then out of nowhere came the familiar sounds of a certain lyre. His brisk walk slowed into a halt. He found the god of music sitting down on top of a small hill, back resting against the trunk of an old oak. He had a feeling he would’ve found him here. This spot was one of their favorites, because it also happened to be right in front of a giant crevice that overlooked a big chunk of the earth. The view was spectacular.

Apollo didn’t notice Hermes’ presence until he had already sat down next to him, which made him flinch.

“H-” “Hermes!” He glared.

“What?”

“You could’ve at least said something! Gods, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

The messenger resisted the urge to laugh and just innocently grinned, while his friend sighed. His gaze then went to the turtle lyre in the musician’s hands.

“I still can’t believe you kept that. I mean, it’s not just that you kept it. It’s the fact that I always see you actually _use it_.”

Apollo smiled, with a look in his eyes that basically said, _‘Why wouldn’t I?’ _

“It’s a very good instrument, even if it was just made by some annoying toddler. Besides, the other one gives me bad memories.” He pauses for a moment. “What’re you doing here? You couldn’t find someone to flirt with?”

“I was looking for you.”

“Did someone need me?”

“Nah, if that were the case then I would’ve already told you. I was just… concerned?”

The blonde seemed confused; now Hermes was the one who sighed.

“Did you really spend two months just, holed up in that room?”

“Maybe, what of it?” The lyre went silent.

Hermes frowned, but after a few moments of thought decided to stand up.

“Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, but considering what happened, you probably just wanted some alone time-”

“Nono, it’s fine.” His voice was so soft he almost didn’t hear it. “Please don’t leave.”

And so the god sat back down, this time inching a little closer so that their sides were touching. Apollo saw him glance at the lyre again.

“You want to play something? Go on ahead.” He hands it over. “I suddenly don’t.”

For a few minutes that’s all it was, Hermes strumming on his lyre while the crickets sung; Apollo staring into the distance.

“Wait.” For a brief moment, Apollo’s eyes lit up like a pair of miniature suns.

“Hm?” Hermes paused.

“Nonono, keep on playing. It was just… isn’t that the song you played to me? When you tried to convince me that it was totally worth trading half of my cows for?”

“Y-” “Yeah.” He was surprised. ‘_How do you still remember that?’_

Hermes continued to strum, but now his cheeks were starting to burn up. It doesn’t look like Apollo noticed though.

“Am I unreasonable, Hermes?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m one of father’s older kids, hell, his literal oldest son. You’d think I’d get used to this now.” He picks up a handful of dirt and just lets the soil fall through his fingers.

“Well, it… wasn’t really a natural death now, was it? Dude, if that happened to my kid I’d be pissed at dad too even if he had a reason for it.”

“I don’t know I’m just… I’m so _tired_ of this.” At first it was a hand on his shoulder, but he quickly ended up hugging him; pulling him even closer and wrapping his arms around the messenger’s waist. “I’m so fucking sick of this shit.”

Despite how much that had startled him and the fact that he was internally screaming right now, Hermes still managed a smile. At this point, the blonde had his face buried into his shoulder. The younger god stopped strumming on the lyre and gave his friend a gentle pat on the back.

“I know that I shouldn’t be making a big deal out of this but-” “but I can’t not!” His rants were loud murmurs; like yelling but in soft whispers with the occasional muffled sniffs and whimpers. “I can’t stop thinking about things like this. I don’t know why. Is there something wrong with me? I know everything dies and that what Asclepius did was a crime against the fates, why can’t my brain just shut up about it!”

“Hey, Hey look at me.”

After half a minute of silence, Apollo reluctantly looked up.

“Don’t beat yourself up like that.” Hermes putted the lyre aside and wiped away some of the tears trailing down his cheeks. “You’re not unreasonable. I mean, have you seen the shit the rest of this fucked up family tree of ours has been up to? I’d argue you’re actually one of the _most_ reasonable.”

“Oh, of course _you’d_ think that-”

“Shhhh” He cut him off by giving him a small kiss on the forehead.

Apollo faintly blushed and then started staring off into oblivion again; resting his head on Hermes’ shoulder.

“I guess at least…” He murmured. “At least you guys aren’t going to suddenly die on me.”

“I don’t know about that. I can’t exactly guarantee that I won’t do a very stupid prank that might get me kicked into Tartarus.”

“Tch. Well, there might be a chance that I would’ve been stupid enough to do it with you, so at least with that we’ll _both _get chucked down into the abyss. Hey who knows, Dio might join us too.”

Hermes laughed, and even the blonde himself couldn’t help but crack a smile.

\---------------------------------

“Well” Apollo sighed. “Thanks for putting up with that.”

“Of course.” He takes a quick look at the moon. “Maybe we should go back now. Someone might get worried.”

“I guess.” For a moment there, the god looked like he really didn’t want to leave.

“I mean, I don’t mind spending a few more minutes here if you want to-”

“No, it’s fine. You’re right; we really should be going back now.”

Apollo stood up first, and picked up the lyre; the messenger standing up not long after. The two deities had started to walk back when the younger god suddenly stopped.

“Wait.”

“Hm?” Apollo turned around and frowned. “Something wrong?”

“I… I need to tell you something.” He suddenly felt a little nervous, and couldn’t help but stare a little; maybe even briefly glancing at his lips.

Hermes took a step closer.

“I-” “ACH!-”

But before he could do or say anything else, he felt something hard smack him right in the face. He probably would’ve fallen back onto the ground if Apollo hadn’t caught him.

“Are you alright?”

“What…” Hermes rubbed his nose. “What the FUCK was _that_?!”

Then there was a distant cackle, and it sounded oddly familiar; almost like it came from a certain goddess of chaos.

Out of the corner of his eye, Apollo saw a speck of yellow on the ground. It was an apple made out of solid gold, and there was an inscription scribbled onto it, but that wasn’t why he was staring.

Once his brother had fully recovered from the shock, he let go, for him to stand on his own. The fruit glimmered and sparkled under the ambient moonlight, enticing the immortal to come closer. He crouched down and picked it up. It glowed against his hand, and it flashed against his eyes.

First he felt the heat, like the sun’s solar flares were gently flicking and liking his skin. Then he smelled the stench of thick, red, mortal blood. His limbs were heavy and his stomach tied itself into a knot; his head filled with the slow rhythmic beat of drums, except it wasn’t drums. He wasn’t in the garden anymore; he was in a temple, _his _temple. He knew because of the statues, but they weren’t the only company he had in this large, hollow room.

There was a stranger in front of him; their steps the source of those loud, steady thumps as they gradually got closer, and closer…

He was a god, he knew he could easily kill them, but instead he found himself backed up against a wall. Then they grabbed him by the throat, and drew their sword. In the heat of the moment, he somehow managed to catch a glimpse his reflection in the glint of their blade.

What he saw wasn’t his face.

But the face had his eyes.

Apollo instinctively dropped the apple and cursed fruit quickly fell back onto the ground. His face was drenched in sweat; his fingers twitching; breath hitching and heaving.

“Apollo? Goldie?!” Hermes rushed towards the blonde and cupped both of his hands. “Hey buddy, what’s wrong?”

The god inhaled, and exhaled; closing his eyes. He squeezed both of the messenger’s hands and forced himself to calm down. When he started coming back to his senses, he glanced around, but the apple was already gone.

“Hermes, where did that cursed piece of golden shit go?!”

Hermes blinked, surprised. “I… don’t know?”

But what he did saw, was a few black feathers as dark as the sky above them. They were scattered along the path that led back to the main event.

“…Hermes I need that fucking apple.”

“Huh? What? Why-” “Hey, HEY! APOLLO WAIT!!”

Apollo had started to run back towards the wedding, and Hermes right behind him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	8. No I Cannot Get a Break(Part2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure where this is going but I'm just gonna roll with it

“Athena? Have you seen Apollo?”

The grey-eyed goddess raised an eyebrow.

“Wasn’t he with you?” 

“Yes, but that was an _hour_ ago.” Calliope frowned. “Hermes ran off to look for him but he hasn’t come back yet-”

Just then, two immortals came running out of the trees; it was the two gods that the muse was looking for. She immediately rushed towards them and inquired as to what had happened; Athena was about to do the same when her father’s voice thundered across the garden.

“AH-” “What’s this??” On his hand, he held out a fruit made out of pure gold. It had stuck him right on the face while he was chatting with his siblings, just like the messenger before him.

“**Father**.” Apollo suddenly spoke up and stared; one of his eyes twitching. “Father _please, _for the love of Troy_, _throw that into_ **Tartarus**!_”

Before Zeus could respond, the apple was already gone; snatched out of his hands by the god of love. His wings instantly threw him up into air as he curiously stared at the fruit of gold.

“Pft, what’s wrong _sunshine_? Why so stressed?” Eros grinned mockingly at the sun deity. “Tis’ just a yellow apple with a few words craved onto it.” He cleared his throat in preparation to read the inscription. “_To the fairest goddess of them all_!”

Athena could’ve sworn Apollo’s fingers were twitching like he wanted to break Eros’ neck. Calliope and Hermes seemed to be holding him back; trying to calm him down. She gazed back at her father, who was just a tiny bit drunk, and he looked both confused and slightly concerned. This surprising turn of events had gotten a lot of the other immortals’ attention; even Artemis had took notice and quickly sped towards her twin.

Meanwhile Eros had flown over to his mother and exclaimed, “Well, well, well… I guess we all know who this trophy belongs to then now, don’t we?”

Aphrodite smiled, flattered by her son’s compliment. Just before she was handed the prize, however, a spear came hurling out of nowhere; piercing the fruit and pinning it against one of the trees.

“**Wait**.” Athena’s voice was commanding; briefly glancing back at her distraught younger brother. “This all feels a little off. Where did that apple even come from?”

Eros rolled his eyes. “Don’t know; don’t care Misses killjoy.” He flew over to retrieve the fruit; tossing the spear aside.

“I can assure you that I sense nothing of the like, no malicious auras or weird obscure magic, at least, not on the apple itself. If anything, this is probably just some secret admirer trying to praise their idol.” He smiled, but it was the kind of smile that proves he had a suspicion that wasn’t the case at all. “Besides, why do you care? Don’t tell me that this trophy was meant for _you _instead?”

“What-” “No!” The goddess seemed appalled that he would even consider that to be a possibility.

Then there was a loud sigh. It was from Hera.

“If that truly is why the apple exists,” She said. “Then for all you know it might’ve been intended for _me_ instead. It landed very close to me after all; specifically onto my husband’s face. Maybe they just had bad aim?” It was hard to tell whether or not she was joking (_‘She’s most likely joking’_ Athena thought), but even Poseidon muttered against his breath that she did have a point.

Aphrodite just smiled. “Then why don’t we let the king of the gods decide?” She nodded at her son, who gave the fruit back to the lightning-bearer. “Tell us my lord, who do you think deserves to be awarded with the title of the fairest goddess of them all?”

Zeus blinked. “I…” “You want _me_ to choose between you, Athena and Hera? With all of my possible biases I think I would be the least fitting judge for that matter.” He was still uneasy about his eldest son’s reaction; even quickly glancing back to make sure he wasn’t having a panic attack amidst all of this.

_‘If only he hadn’t blocked my voice from his head.’ _He thought. _‘Then I would know what’s bothering him so much.’_

On the other hand, now that he was holding it again, Eros seemed to be right. It looked and felt like a normal and harmless shiny apple; a very pretty one at that.

“Let a mortal who is not part of any of your cults decide, and swear not to endanger their life over some trivial matter such as this.”

Aphrodite peered off the edge; her gaze landing on a young prince of Troy. “I think I already know who.”

Eros took the golden apple and flew down onto the earth. She motioned to the two goddesses to follow as well before morphing into a dove; flying just behind her son.

\---------------------------------

Paris stared at the three deities standing before him. At this rate, it looked like he was too shocked to be able to choose anyone at all. Athena internally sighed, wondering how she got herself involved into this mess.

“Okay well, how about this.” Aphrodite pondered for a moment. “If you choose me, I’ll give you the most beautiful mortal princess the world has ever laid their eyes on.”

Eros gave his mom a look, but she whispered to assure him that she was in fact _not _finding a way to get rid of Psyche.

Athena raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s just cheating-”

“Zeus never said anything against bribery~”

“In that case,” Hera said. “Choose me and you’ll get to rule the whole of Asia Minor.”

The war goddess thought that was an extremely irresponsible opportunity to give to someone as young as Paris, but then again maybe that was the point. She suddenly felt a little bad for the young prince.

“If you choose me, I can give you unlimited wisdom and glory in war.”

She could’ve sworn she heard Aphrodite curse. However, defying most of their expectations, Paris uttered the words, “I choose Aphrodite” and awarded the golden apple to the goddess of love.

_‘Oh. Well, I tried to give him the least risky option.’_

When she got back to the main event, it was almost like nothing had ever happened. Despite the incident that had killed the mood a few minutes ago, the party seemed to be back in full swing. She noticed one key difference though. Athena walked over to some of the muses; giving Clio a gentle tap on the shoulder.

“Where’s Phoebus?"

\---------------------------------

Apparently Apollo disappeared when they weren’t looking, so Hermes, Artemis and Dionysus had gone off to go look for him in the depths of the garden.

“I tried to approach him, but he wouldn’t even look at me.” Zeus sighed. “And I am _still _not able to hear his thoughts.”

“Don’t worry, if I see him I’ll try to talk to him.”

“…please do.”

\---------------------------------

There were already three gods searching for him among the trees, so she figured she might as well try looking inside the palace itself. Besides, if he really wanted to be left alone, he might’ve tried hiding somewhere else, far from where Hermes last found him. Plus, she had a few spots in mind that she could try checking out.

The silence was eerie, but also oddly comforting. There was nothing but the soft hollow thumps of her steps as she walked through the empty halls. As luck would have it, it didn’t take long for her to finally spot the god sitting on the railing of a certain balcony, the one that even their father himself often stood on. 

The blonde was tense, but when he turned around and saw Athena, he started to relax.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your steps scared kind of scared me. I thought I was having another vision for a second there… I mean, you _are _the real Athena right?” He laughed, but his breath was more than a little shaky.

“Of course I am the real Pallas Athena. Who else would I be?”

She allowed a full minute to pass by to let him fully process her statement to be true before moving to stand right next to him.

“What’re you doing here?” Apollo asked.

“I wanted a break from the party.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” He paused. “You sure it’s not because you’re salty about the golden apple?”

Athena scoffed. “Don’t even think about trying to tease me. Why on earth would I care _that_ much about some accursed fruit?”

“Aw, don't worry Athe. If I were him, I would've definitely chosen your deal instead."

"Well, of course, no surprise there. You choose what you don’t have after all."

“Wha-” “I was trying to cheer you up and _this_ is what you do to me?!"

"So, you admit that what I just said is true?"

He had his hand over his chest as if he were offended; that forced smile on his face feeling just a little bit more genuine, until it slowly dropped entirely.

“Paris fucked up, Athena. Paris _really _fucked up.” He sighs. “Do you still remember their oaths?”

“Helen’s suitors?” She thought for a moment. “Apollo, I doubt Paris would still want to keep her after seeing the army that comes after-”

“_But he will_.” His voice suddenly hardened. “And he’ll keep her for over 10 fucking years and will become the torch that burns his city down to a crisp.”

Her tone softened. “How much did you see?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that Thetis is about to give birth to one of the greatest warriors in recorded history and-” “and-” He suddenly stopped, stuttering.

Athena placed a steady hand on his shoulder, as if he might fall.

Apollo’s grip on the railing tightened. “I-” “I don’t want to lose another one, Athena. Not now, it’s too fucking soon I literally just watched Asclepius-” The tears started trailing down his cheeks until they dissipated into thin air as a whiff of steam. “I just want a fucking break!”

There was a long pause before he continued.

“Why do I care so much?”

“I’d be more concerned if you didn’t. After all, I’m barely any better.”

\------------------

“Athena?”

“Yes Phoebus?”

“What do you think dad’s going to do about this?”

“…I don’t know.”  
\------------------

“Apollo?”

“Hm?”

“Do you hate him?”

“…sometimes I wish I did”

“…”

“I-” “I’m sorry-”

“No, don’t be. I occasionally wished I did too, but it’ll never be that simple, no? Who would even replace him?”

“You?”

Athena laughed. “Weren’t you the one always asking to be his heir?”

“I was a very stupid toddler back then, hell, probably still am now. I mean, don’t tell me you actually trust me to run this thing?”

“True. I don’t blame you for not believing in yourself. Honestly, I don’t either.”

  
“I-” “Wow, you couldn’t have at least sugar-coated it a little?”

\------------------

“Hey Pal, maybe we could share the throne?”

Athena immediately made a face of disgust. “But then if we kept our titles as King and Queen, someone might assume we married each other.”

“Wow!” Apollo tried his best not to laugh. “I mean, I don’t want to marry you either but still, you make it look like being with me is a bad thing!”

\------------------

“I-” “I don’t want to get rid of him Apollo...”

“…I know.”

\------------------

For a few minutes, all they did was stare and enjoy the view; looking down at the earth like they owned everything that the light could touch. Then with a flick of her hand the goddess summoned her spear and slung her shield over her back.

“Apollo, get your bow.”

“Wait-” “What? Why?” It took a few moments for him to realize what she was suggesting. "Athe, no matter how much I try, you know I’ll never stand a chance against you in close combat-"

“I _did _say get your bow, not your sword, didn’t I? I mean, you’re welcome to try if you want.” Her eyes were taunting him. “Father invited almost every single deity to Thetis and Peleus' wedding in Olympus. Excluding the mortals, the rest of Greece should be fairly empty right now."

"...I guess a duel _does_ sound fun.”

"It certainly does. Besides, you _really_ look like you could use one right now."

"Did-” “Did you just insult me by calling me out of shape or am I just over thinking this and you're genuinely trying to cheer me up?"

"Maybe both."

“…Fine. Only a few conditions: no one uses the aegis or the masterbolt, and that you better be a hundred percent sure father isn’t watching us right now.”

“Of course, wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of him now, would we? I’m not _that_ mean.”

After a few moments of consideration, Apollo summoned his signature bow and wore his golden quiver. Taking one last glance behind them to assure themselves that they were, in fact, alone; they went over the railing. It was faint and easy to miss, but when Athena saw the eager and determined look on his face, she couldn’t help but smile.

_‘Now there's the arrogant bastard that I know.’_

"Mt. Othrys?" She asked.

"Sure, the closer the more convenient.” He grinned. “Mt. Othrys it is.”

And so, they jumped off, straight into the abandoned ruins of a golden age long forgotten; landing in the middle of all of those towering columns and mighty slabs of black, the remains of their father’s decade long war.


	9. The Walls Have Fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... not sure what to call this? A soliloquy? Apollo talks to himself, there's that. Very experimental and shorter than I thought it was so...

If I sing, would anyone listen? Would anyone bother with a song of this god in a foolish war?

’You knew how everything would end.’

I always do.

‘Yet you still kept up the game of pretend’

What else would’ve I done? Would you have rather let them rot?!

‘But isn’t that exactly what you did? When your silver arrows pierced the heart of the Grecian camp?’

He refused Chrysies’ ransom!

‘That is not all, what of the things before it even began? Do you still remember your twin sister, upon seeing the army do her wrong, suggest on giving them an impossible task?’

I thought he wouldn’t dare! We thought he’d never agree to such an awful ask!

‘But he did; all for a change in the wind, but this is not all of what you immortals did. Don’t act like it never happened. You always remember, even if you wished to forget. It could’ve ended quicker, but it didn’t.’ 

But I did wish for that, for it to stop!

‘But you didn’t let it; you couldn’t’

That wasn’t my fault!

‘But not exempt from blame either; you lot never are. Even now you still smell the blood; hear their cries, and see the desperate look in their eyes, and by the reach of the tenth year, you were desperate too.

“Trojans!” you yelled “Rush on the foe; do not let yourselves be thus beaten by the Argives!” all the while as Pallas urged the Achaeans forward whenever she found them slacking.’

I know; it was foolish for me to hope.

‘Well, I suppose there _was_ a brief point in the war, where both sides were glad, for they thought they could finally rest, when Paris declared,

“…Hector, your scorn is as sharp as an axe that a shipwright wields at work, and the rebuke is just. Still, do not taunt me with what the goddess of love has given me. If you would have me do battle with Menelaus, bid the Trojans and Achaeans take their seats; let the victor, who proves to be the better man, take the woman and all that she has, and the rest to swear to a solemn covenant of peace.”’

I remember that, that and so much more. You’re right; I haven’t forgotten anything at all. Oh, if only the peace Paris spoke of was meant to be!

The gods were sitting on their thrones and gazing down upon the earth.

“Well?” Zeus’ voice thundered across the halls. “We must consider what we shall do about all this; shall we set them fighting anew or make peace between them?”

Hera couldn’t contain herself. “Dreaded son of Cronus, is all my effort then, to result to nothing?”

He frowned. “My dear, what harm have Priam and his sons done that you are so hotly bent on sacking their city? Of all the inhabitants under the stars of heaven, there was none that I so much respected as Ilium with Priam and his whole people.”

“Some of my own favorite cities are Argos, Sparta, and Mycenae. Sack them whenever you are displeased with them. Even if I tried to stop you; I would gain nothing from it, for you are much stronger than I am, _but I will not have my own work wasted_.” Her voice was stern as they locked eyes. “I am a goddess of the same race as yourself, and am honorable not on this ground only, but also because I am your wife, and you are the king over the gods.”

She continued. “Let it be a case of give-and-take between us; the rest of the gods will follow our lead. Tell Athena to go and take part in the fight at once, and let the Trojans be the first to break their oaths.”

And Athena eagerly went, and Pandarus fired his bow in my name.

‘Why were you so silent?’

I was in Pergamus and there was nothing that I could’ve said to sway them.

Hera wouldn’t be the only one upset, some of the Greeks themselves would complain for their work to have been all for naught. They didn’t come here to toil for some woman they never met; they were here for the glory and the prizes that they would get. For those men, Helen was merely an excuse, to give reason for what they have done. It would also be easier then, for Agamemnon to quell everyone’s frustrations of having to fight for him, when they all get their large share of wealth.

‘Are you mad?’

…Not at my fellow immortals, no. They were only doing their job; they are their patrons after all.

‘But aren’t you as well?’

What of it?

‘Hah, I suppose you must’ve just loved the royal family _that_ much.’

Oh fuck you.

‘Am I wrong? Want me to name them one by one?’

You know that’s not all it was, at least not just _that_ type of love-

_Apollo briefly snaps out of his internal monologue when Athena enters the room, but before she could say a word, the god was already gone. He now sits down on the ground, back leaning against one of the many oaks in the garden._

‘…Are you sure you’re not mad?’

I just need time for myself.

‘That’s what you’ve been saying for the past 4 months’

Okay fine, maybe a little bit, but I still try not to be. Even then, in the midst of the war, I tried not to fight them.

‘Like when Poseidon and Artemis insulted you and Hera hit your twin with her own bow?’

I meant when Athena and I were on good terms; proud of our men, and watching them duel while we were vultures perched on father’s high oak-

‘“Idiot, you have no sense, and forget how we two alone of all immortals fared hardly round about Ilium for Laomedon.”

“So you would fly Far-Darter, and hand victory over to Poseidon with a cheap vaunt to boot. Coward, why keep your bow thus idle?-”’

I’d have no respect for myself if I were to quarrel with them because of a pack of miserable mortals-

‘_But you already have_, and what good did it do you?-’

Ares fought to oppose Athena; Aphrodite intervened for Paris and Aeneas.

I cared for the whole of Troy.

I went before their horses to smooth the way, carrying the Aegis, the Achaeans were _afraid_. I gifted great strength to Hector, the shepherd of my people, as he gladly sped forward, killing all that stood in his way. I destroyed the Argives’ wall as easily as a child that kicks down a sandcastle on the beach. Nothing escaped my gaze, for as long as they fought on the plains, Ilium’s walls stood tall, the Greeks frustrated and in a daze. Not even Patroclus could get in, as I beat the helmet off his head, and undid the fastenings of his corset, his shield falling down to the ground.

I was _not _helpless;_ I am not useless_, and I do not regret a single act.

‘If you believe this to be so, then why do you feel the need to say all of this? Whom are you trying to convince?’

…who else?

I think the answer is obvious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'll be off this angst train eventually


	10. My Sweet Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyacinthus x Apollo. Enough said. This took way longer than it should've

It was a morning like any other, or at least, it was supposed to be.

Hyacinthus had set off with his dogs to go hunt in the nearby forest, but the trees were silent; not a single prey in sight. Wondering where they had all gone, he trekked deep into the woods until at last, the silence broke. However, it wasn’t because of the roar of a bear, the trot of a deer or the howl of a wolf. Rather it was a song, but the voice was not of a bird’s. He had walked into a small clearing, and wow was it a sight to behold.

In the middle, there was what he perceived to be a young maiden strumming on their cithara; their golden hair shimmering under the sunlight. A wide range of animals sat around them, eagerly listening to every note, and so did he and his hounds. Hyacinthus couldn’t help but stare, he was entranced.

Eventually, the musician had noticed his arrival, and the music stopped, but before they could speak, Hyacinthus snapped out of it and spoke first.

“I’m sorry miss, but who the hell are you?” He slowly approached, cautious of all the critters around them. “What in Zeus’ name is a lass like you doing here, playing in the outskirts of my kingdom?”

The stranger raised an eyebrow, but decided to play along. “Nothing, just bored and passing the time with my lyre.”

“Ah. I assume your father’s somewhere close by, then.” He looks around, but they only laughed in response.

“Oh no, I came here to have some me time with myself.”

“Wait, _myself_?!” Hyacinthus seems dismayed. “No one accompanied you here?! Not even a brother, cousin, or a friend?”

They shook their head; he frowned.

“Look, it’s not safe to be all alone out here. As a prince, it is my duty to protect you-”

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that he had accidentally stepped on the tail of a sleeping lion, causing it to wake up and it looked _very_ pissed. Luckily, a silver arrow had rushed by; just barely missing the prince and piercing the cat’s heart. The rest of the animals took this as a sign to scram.

Hyacinthus blinked, and looked back at the musician, who was still sitting down on the ground, unfazed. He muttered a silent prayer of thanks to the archer god before speaking up again.

“See! I think it is best we get out of here.” He reaches out, offering his hand for them to stand up. The stranger only sighed when they realized that the mortal didn’t put two and two together.

Before he knew it, Hyacinthus felt someone’s fist punch him square in the face, causing him to stagger back. It was then that the stranger spoke again, except they sounded _very_ different this time.

“What is it with people thinking I’m some sort of forest nymph or mortal maiden?”

Hyacinthus froze; their voice was much lower than he remembered. Gazing into their sapphire eyes, he suddenly understood. The being that stood in front of him was no mere mortal. He hastily tried to get his shit together, smiling in embarrassment.

“A-” “Apologies my lord. I suppose you’re just… _that_ enchanting.”

“Oh?” The god raised an eyebrow, his mood slowly shifting when his instincts told him that he was telling the truth; it wasn’t merely empty flattery. “Why, thank you.” He scanned the boy from head to toe. “I suppose you’re not that bad yourself.”

“Oh, um, well of course! I’m Sparta’s heir after all!” He proudly exclaimed. “Still though, I am, uh, terribly sorry for interrupting your song.”

“No need to apologize for that.” Apollo sat down, and placed the cithara back on his lap. “In fact, you’re welcome to stay if you want. I won’t mind.”

“I thought you said you wanted some time alone?”

“Away from the other gods, I mean.”

Hyacinthus was reluctant, but as the immortal started to strum on his lyre, the offer was tempting; even his dogs seemed like they wanted to listen. He _did_ have nothing else to do.

“…alright, only for a bit, if that’s really okay with you my lord-”

“Please, just call me Apollo.”

Unbeknownst to Hyacinthus a ‘bit’ was quite an understatement, for while listening to the god’s music it was as if time itself ceased to exist.

Now the sun was setting, and the prince had already left to go back to the palace; Apollo choosing to remain in the clearing. It was then that the west wind had materialized before him.

“I was just passing by, so here’s a quick tip.” Zephyr murmured. “If I were you, I’d try not to spend too much time with him. He’s already caught the eye of two other gods and one mortal.”

“And you’re telling me this because?” Apollo couldn’t help but have a sympathetic smile.

“…what’s with that look?”

“Well, my friend, it’s a little too late for that advice. He had already invited me to go out hunting with him.”

Zephyr frowned as he fizzled out into thin air.

\--------------

On the day of their hunt, as expected, it had gone exceptionally well. However, Apollo wasn’t the only one that had his gaze fixed on his new friend. Even as they ran through the trees, he could sense the eyes of someone else, but who could blame them? The mortal was a fit and handsome young man that much was obvious. Plus, in the short interactions that they’ve had in the week before this, the prince was quite the charmer; his banter witty and entertaining. Still, he was curious. So, when they had stopped to take a break, he asked him this,

“Has anyone ever made a move on you before?”

Hyacinthus froze. He was sitting on the ground next to him, and was about to try subtly holding his hand. “At least three other men have, but I’ve rejected them all.” He realized what that sentence might’ve implied. “That isn’t to say I’m only into women though!”

Apollo laughs. “I suppose you merely haven’t found the right one yet.”

“Who knows, perhaps I already have.” Hyacinthus beamed. “Do you know why?”

“Because I’m smart, talented, and very hot?”

“Maybe.” He inched closer. “But it’s also because of your smile, or rather, _how _you smile.”

The god was a little flustered, and couldn’t help but give that signature dazzling grin; thus further proving Hyacinthus’ point. Before he knew it, the prince had already leaned in, a hand holding his chin; faintly muttering something under his breath.

“May I?”

Apollo answered it with a kiss.

Thus was how they met; the beginning of the tale of the golden god and the Spartan prince.

And it didn’t take long for the news to spread.

\--------------

Everyone was just going about on their daily routine when Hyacinthus had showed up to his training with hundreds of flowers intricately woven into his hair. The soldiers were too scared to comment, but Thamyris wasn’t.

“Okay, what in the actual fuck?”

“Short version is, I fell asleep during the break after the hunting trip, so now there are a bunch of flowers in my hair.”

“Out of all of your suitors, you chose a _god_; hell, not just that, one of the fucking _Olympians_.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Marpessa wouldn’t.”

Hyacinthus sighed. “Look, we all have our own preferences. I’m dating him and that’s final.” He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

“As if.” He turned around, about to leave; probably going to hang out with Marsyas. “Just don’t come back crying to me when shit goes downhill.”

The prince just ignored him, or at least he _tried_ to. His words were awfully persistent.

A few days later, among the immortals, Hermes was one of the first to discover.

“Oh and Hermes,” Zeus said, when he saw his son enter the room. “If you happen to run into Apollo, please, tell him we need to talk.”

“Is it urgent?”

“…just tell him to come to me whenever he’s free.”

So that’s what he did, flying as swift as a morning breeze until he stopped in front of the studio’s door. He carefully pushed it open, but despite being the lord of communication, he couldn’t utter a single word. 

It was late in the evening, and his brother wasn’t alone.

Apollo was sitting down writing notes on a scroll, most likely for researching purposes, and behind him was a mortal curiously peering over his shoulder. Then the boy moved closer, and wrapped his arms around the blonde’s waist; tenderly whispering sweet nothings into his ear. To Hermes’ surprise, Apollo allowed him to pry him away from his work with zero complaints.

At this point, he just slowly closed the door. His message can wait. Meanwhile, the two lovers hadn’t noticed a thing.

However, now Thamyris wasn’t the only one with a complaint.

Hyacinthus was sitting under a cypress tree; trying to practice playing on the lyre his lover gifted him, when the breeze whispered into his ear.

“Look at it.” He said. “Your reflection in the water.”

The prince raised an eyebrow, but he glanced into the stream in front of him anyway. The top of his head was adorned with all sorts of flowers, no doubt due to the breath of the west wind.

“Hm… I think I liked it better when Apollo did it.”

Zephyr frowned; materializing seated down on his left.

“You’re not giving me a chance-”

“Except he already did.” Apollo sighed, suddenly appearing on Hyacinthus’ right. “For fates’ sake, take a hint and go blow someone else.”

The other god glared, but gave in, once more disappearing into the wind.

\--------------

Days turned into weeks and months of_ bliss_. Now that isn’t to say that they didn’t have their own little problems of their own, but what did it matter?

“Those laurel wreaths you wear; they mean a lot to you, don’t they?”

“Well, of course; there are many reasons as to why I care about them, one of them being that they remind me of something I shouldn’t ever forget because I don’t want to make a mistake like that ever again.”

There was a brief moment of hesitation before he continued.

“Hyacinthus?”

“Yeah?”

“Never doubt my feelings for you, okay?”

“I never did.”

“…even so, you really must know that, because of you, right now is the best I’ve ever felt in literal _decades_.”

“Oh don’t flatter me, sunshine.”

“You know I can’t lie. So really, trust me when I say that I’m here to stay.”

Hyacinthus’ eyes darted around the room while the god’s head rested on his lap; the prince’s fingers twirling around in his golden locks. The floor was littered with paintings and marble statues of varying shapes and sizes scattered all over.

“Something caught your eye?” Apollo said as he saw his boyfriend look at a painting of Crete. “You can take one of them home if you’d like.”

“Oh-” “Oh no it’s fine, really! I was just… enjoying the scenery.”

“Hm, you know I could just take you there myself, right? Oooooh, imagine! A tour around Greece with yours truly.”

Hyacinthus smiled. His gaze shifted from a painting of Delphi to some art work of Leto, then Artemis, then Zeus, Athena and the rest of the other heavenly gods. What he stared at the most though, were the ones next to those paintings of the Muses and the Thriae.

The names were many, Admetus, Cyrene, Branchus, Hecuba, Helenus… then there was Cassandra, Daphne, and an unfinished Coronis, and as he continued to look, the prince could’ve sworn he felt the god gently squeeze his hand.

“Everything alright, Apollo?”

The god smiled. “I’m just… tired.”

“Tired because… of what?”

“Hm… not sure. Tired of existing?” Hyacinthus frowned; Apollo only laughed. “I’m kidding.”

“I know you can’t lie.” The prince leaned in to give him a small kiss. “Just remember that, whatever happens, I’m not going to run away.”

And he really didn’t, or at least, not willingly, but you already knew that, didn’t you?

\--------------

Two years, or at least, _about_ two years, their laughter _almost _lasted for about two years.

“Athena, Apollo still hasn’t showed up for the talk.”

“Father, just give him a little more time. He’ll come eventually. On the bright side, at least he seems to be faring much better now.”

“I know, I know… but he’s neglecting his duties.” He sighed. “When was the last time you saw him walk into Olympus?”

“Fear not my lord.” His messenger, the west wind, suddenly exclaimed. “He’s already here.”

And indeed he was, fingers dripping with crimson red; purple petals falling out of his hair.

Zephyr couldn’t help but have a sympathetic smile. “You’re welcome.”

** _Ai, ai, ai…_ **

_…_

_…_

_…_

It was a morning like any other, or at least, it was supposed to be.

Hyacinthus loved to spar. The god was a fierce opponent and he could never truly win, but man did he love seeing him panting and drenched in sweat. Another favorite sport of his was the throwing of the discus; he especially loved to try to run and catch it once his lover had sent it hurling into the air.

_Crack_

Apollo could’ve sworn that sound had echoed across the fields. Before he knew it, cradled in his arms was the stem of a poor flower that had broke its neck; all due to the breath of the west wind. All of his knowledge in the arts of healing was useless; by the time he tried it was already too late. So he just, sat there until a concerned Artemis tried dragging him back over to Leto in Delos, but he unknowingly slipped away.

It was like time itself ceased to exist.

** _Ai, ai, ai…_ **

**…**

**…**

**…**

It was an interesting sight to see. Apollo had a blank look in his eyes and Athena was standing in his way; Zephyr a little further down the hall behind her, curiously peaking over the corner.

“Athena, _move_.”

“Apollo,” The goddess was perfectly calm. “Father has already retired him as his personal messenger, and he is now going to serve under Eros to repent for the very stupid thing he did in ‘the name of love’.”

“It’s not enough-”

“I know, and it’s _never_ going to be enough.” Then she muttered. “Look, what happened with Pallas was much more justifiable than what this idiot wind bag did and even then, even if it was our father, to this day a tiny part of me is _still_ pissed _even if_ I knew he did it because he was worried about me.”

For a moment, the god was quiet. “Zephyr isn’t nearly as important.”

“But still crucial enough; I think it’d be best if we _didn’t_ lose the west wind. Listen to your head, you know this isn’t worth it; it’s _never_ going to be worth it.”

After a few seconds of silence, in the blink of an eye, Apollo was gone.

\--------------

Olympus’ garden was huge; its depths filled with paths most don’t even know of. It was here the two gods sat down on top of a small hill, right in front of a giant crevice that overlooked all of their creations.

“I really am unreasonable, aren’t I, Hermes? Crying over beings much lesser than myself…”

“You had your eyes and heart set upon a mortal, so I guess it does sound foolish to grieve over their mortality but… I think we’re all a little unreasonable sometimes.” His friend paused for a moment, to think. “Is there anything you want to say? To Hyacinthus, I mean, when I guide him down to Hades.”

“…”

\--------------

_‘If we should ever meet again_

_No matter how long the wait_

_No matter how many lifetimes it takes_

_My arms will be glad to welcome you in an embrace_

_Until then, just know _

_That even when man has forgotten my face_

_And I roam the world as nothing but a shade_

_Your memory will continue, forever living on _

_In all the flowers that the earth will cover itself, bearing your name_

_Goodnight, my sweet prince’_

\--------------

…

(Bonus:

Zeus softly knocked on his son’s door. “Apollo?”

At first, there was nothing.

“My dear Phoebus, please. I’m not here for work. I just want to talk.”

Eventually, the door magically swung open, and immediately closed once he stepped inside. Then he slowly approached his son, who was just curled up in a corner, hugging his knees, and decided to sit down in front of him. Zeus spoke up first.

“I’m sorry.”

Apollo glanced up, confused. “For what?”

“For not being able to resurrect him.”

“…can you really not?” He sounded desperate. “Father, please, I beg of you to bring someone back, to bring _him_ back, just this _once_??”

“You know that I can’t, especially when this wasn’t my doing.” Zeus internally winced. “Not even the fates can undo it; his thread has already been cut, so you couldn’t even do what you did with Admetus.” He paused, his voice lowering a bit. “I also came to apologize for… Asclepius.”

“…what’s done is done, and cannot be undone.”

“Normally yes, and I did just say that I can’t bring back your lover, but your son on the other hand…”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, to some of the people in that one greek mythos discord server, thanks for the hcs, especially for the fluff scenes. (And yes, the poem? in the end was written by me, I didn't take it from anywhere)


	11. The Bros (HermxPollo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was mostly just me having fun, so it probably won't come off as that serious.

Sometimes the messenger couldn’t help but think back to the moment they first met. Sometimes he wondered if his brother did too.

\--------------

It was a bright and sunny day, and he was a mischievous little piece of shit.

Apollo glared at the young boy and yet, despite the fact that he had just threatened to throw the bastard into Tartarus, his expression slowly softened.

Hermes grinned. “I’m willing to trade this lyre for the cows!”

\--------------

_‘Things were so much simpler, back then’ _the god thought, as he sighed, laying down on an open field and gazing up into the night sky. Speaking of Apollo…

A head suddenly popped into view, accompanied by a familiar melodious voice.

“What’re you doing here?”

Hermes blinked. “I-” “I’m on a break; somehow sleep wasn’t cooperating with me tonight, so here I am. Hey, if anything, I should be the one asking _you_ that!”

“Ah well, sorry if I startled you then. I was just passing by.”

“Since when did you like to walk around in the dark in some random ass field??”

“Bored.”

“...you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” His brother seemed confused by that remark and just smiled.

The messenger internally cursed. Now the moon wasn’t the only thing his eyes were focusing on.

_‘Things were so simple, back then.’_

_‘How did this happen and how the fuck did I get here??’_

Perhaps Perseus had softened him up more than he thought he did.

He was glad to finally see him again, though. Contrary to what he was used to, he could barely even recall the last time he had ran into him. How long had it been, a month? Two months? Three?

Hermes sat up and asked, “You’re really free tonight?”

“Well, I did just say that I’m bored, didn’t I? What about it?”

“So am I.” He looked quite determined all of a sudden. “You wanna hang out? It’s been a while.”

“I guess it _has _been a while.” Apollo thought for a moment. “What do you have in mind?”

\---------------------------------

“Uh, Hermes, where are we going?”

“Wherever the fates will take us!”

“So, basically what I was doing before I bumped into you, walking around until I find something interesting.”

“Well then mister-know-it-all, can you think of something better? Hmmmm?”

The god held in a laugh. “No.” He glanced around, the grass crunching under their steps. “I suppose, with your company, this _is_ sort of… nice; kind of relaxing actually.”

“Heh, of course it is!” The messenger just hoped that the moon wasn’t _too_ bright. “Being around me is the best!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Debatable.”

Hermes pouted, at which Apollo could no longer contain his laughter, not that the younger god cared. If anything, instead of taking offense, it only made him smile.

Then he sighed.

He was a patron of thieves and deceit; his brother was the god who never lied. He had always thought that they would never get along, but it seems that the fates thought otherwise.

He still remembered how it used to be. Back then, his brother would look like he was judging him every time he walked into the room. However, unbeknownst to him, that wasn’t true at all, but that interpretation was through no fault of his. Apollo had always been hard to read, especially back in the early days when he barely knew him.

He’s not sure when, but at some point that judging look was suddenly accompanied by a dazzling smile. The first time it happened though, he recalled that it had been slowly replaced by a small frown.

\--------------

“Is everything alright, Hermes?” The blonde raised an eyebrow.

He merely blinked, laughing it off. “Of course! Just got a little distracted for a second there.”

\--------------

Ironically, similar to how it was in that memory, Apollo had to snap him back into reality _again_; this time by having to grab a hold of his arm to prevent him from mindlessly walking off a cliff.

Needless to say, it took a while for Hermes to convince a concerned god of health that everything was okay.

\---------------------------------

He could never truly figure out when the predicament first took root; when this feeling _really_ started to grow and gnaw on him. All he knew was that it was probably indirectly influenced by that incident with Perseus and just, everything about Apollo in general. Then again, what the hell did he know? Even Athena realized he was head over heels for him earlier than he did.

\--------------

“Hermes,” She whispered. “You’re staring.”

\--------------

He shook the thoughts out of his head and tried to regain his bearings. They were sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a nearby town. Not only that, there was also music in the air, and his eyes darted to the turtle lyre in the musician’s hands.

This time Apollo noticed. “Did you prefer the silence?”

“Nonono, not at all.” He paused. “By the way, how’s Asclepius?”

“He’s doing fine, now that he’s well adjusted. I’m just glad he’s back.”

Hermes could’ve sworn something about his brother’s gaze felt mildly… bittersweet, somehow.

And so for a few moments, that was all it was, the hum of their lyre. They had no other company aside from a curious deer, a few feet away, munching on a patch of grass.

Then his eyes fell onto the city, specifically one of the blonde’s temples, and an idea popped into his head, but not before briefly arguing with himself.

_‘Ooooohhhh, are you going to perform another song number to cheer him up?-’_

‘_Hey! I thought we agreed to never talk about that ever again!’_

_‘I mean, it technically wasn’t your voice that ruined it. Remember? Goldie actually quite liked it. You were just a clumsy dumbass that tripped and knocked everything over.’_

_‘Shush!’_

Well, at least the remark about his singing made him feel a _little_ better. This new plan to cheer Apollo up, however, had nothing to do with that and would _hopefully_ be a lot less risky.

“You hungry?” Hermes asked. “I could kinda go for some honey cake right now.”

“Honey cake… I do like me some honey cake and I guess there_ is_ nothing that’s going to stop me from just, making one right now.” He paused, before turning towards his brother. “You want to help?”

\---------------------------------

Olympus’ garden was huge; its depths filled with paths most don’t even know of. It was here that the two gods sat down on top of a small hill, right in front of a giant crevice that overlooked all of their creations.

Apollo was the one holding the plate that held their precious honey cake. “We really like coming here, huh?”

“Who wouldn’t? The view’s spectacular.” While his brother was busy staring off into the horizon, Hermes took the opportunity to take a small bite out of their dessert. “Damn, the cake tastes really good by the way.”

Apollo was about to protest about the bastard sneakily taking the first bite, when Hermes softly pressing a tiny piece of cake against his mouth.

“Come on goldie, try it!”

He gave him a look, but still ate it anyway. “Mm… I guess so, not bad. Actually, kinda proud of it!” His eyes faintly lit up.

Hermes couldn’t help but smile at that. “We should do this more often-”

To his surprise, this time Apollo was the one that help up a piece of the dessert for him. “We really should.”

The messenger reluctantly obliged and took a bite, but suddenly froze. The blonde was holding his chin and had used his thumb to brush away most of the crumbs near his lips. Now he felt a little dizzy.

“Maybe I should ask the others for some recipes-” Apollo stopped, immediately getting worried when Hermes had his hands over his own mouth and started choking.

\-------

“Hey, hey, hey Herms?-”

“Y-” “Yeah, yeah I can hear you, I’m fine-”

“Fine my ass!”

“I mean, well that’s not wrong either-” “Oh my fucking gods I HATE MYSELF SO MUCH-” Hermes just covered his mouth again while Apollo frowned in confusion, but decided that there were other far more pressing matters to attend to and continued analyzing his brother’s condition; even placing two fingers on his neck to check for this idiot’s pulse.

“What the hell happened?! You looked like you had a fucking heart attack.”

“I… I think you’re over thinking this. It was probably just me being a dumbass.” He laughed nervously.

Apollo didn’t seem very convinced.

Hermes internally cursed himself _again_; placing his hands on both of the blonde’s shoulders. “So I choked on a cake, so what? Look, seriously I’m fine, okay? Come on, relax.”

“If you say so…” It was obvious that it barely comforted him at all. Still, Apollo felt bad when he frowned. He didn’t want the messenger to start blaming himself and feeling guilty about ruining the mood. “I’m sorry. I was just really worried.” He briefly paused, before muttering, “I love you. Even if we’re gods, the last thing I want is to see you suffering or incapacitated-”

“It was just a fucking honey cake-” “wait.” Hermes stared, suddenly feeling like he could barely breathe; only managing to just barely stutter out, “W-” “What did you just say?”

The musician looked puzzled. “Hm? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

“Huh? Nononono! I just-” The thought of making Apollo feel even worse made his insides knot; panicked, he just blurted out, “I-” “ILOVEYOUTOO!”

Apollo didn’t expect that response at all. He barely had any time to process anything when Hermes stood up, about to scram, but a stray grapevine made him trip at the first step.

The messenger heard someone giggle. One second he was face first onto the ground; the next he was suddenly looking up at a familiar blonde, cradled in his arms.

“I had a feeling you were hiding something from me…” Apollo’s frown turned into a teasing grin. 

“Pft! What in Zeus’ name are you talking a-” “about…” His voice slowly trailed off the moment he felt a hand cup his cheek.

Apollo just, laughed. “My, my, who knew the charismatic silver tongue bastard could be as red as-”

“Oh fuck you!”

The god raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Hermes paused, and then cursed, now avoiding eye contact. 

“You alright? For someone who knows the mortal realm like the back of his hand you look… kinda lost?”

He was reluctant to even respond this time. “No shit; this isn’t something I’m experienced in.”

“Experience in what? Navigating the road to my bed?”

At that point his brain might’ve just malfunctioned, while the other chuckled; his smile only getting wider.

“Okay sorry, sorry. I couldn’t help it-” He stopped.

His arms were empty.

\-------

Fortunately, in the process of trying to run away, Hermes somehow ended up back at the hill. He was hesitant, but curious, and the moment he took a closer look he immediately felt his heart drop. Apollo didn’t really look upset but rather… unexpressive?

Apollo hadn’t run after him because figured that the messenger needed some time to breathe, so you can imagine his surprise when he found himself suddenly wrapped up in a hug, accompanied by a shit ton of apologies.

“I… Herms, it’s okay.” He laughed, giving him a few pats on the back. “I’ll be fine; now _you’re _the one over thinking things.”

The god was suspicious, but didn’t pry any further, at least for now. Instead, he just hugged a little tighter. “Still, sorry for being an absolute fucking disaster.”

“No need. Hey, on the bright side it was kinda cute-” The musician felt a faint punch on his side, causing him to laugh even more.

“Anyway…” Hermes sighed, pulling away. “What happened to the honey cake?”

“It’s over here.” Apollo picked up the plate that he had set aside, and broke off a small piece of the dessert. “You still want some?”

The messenger stared at it for a bit, and then parted his lips.

\---------------------------------

Instead of waking up to the walls of his room, his eyes were greeted by familiar tuffs of gold. Hermes immediately sat up and tried to get his bearings. It was then that it hit him. 

They haven’t left at all; they _both _fell asleep in the garden.

That wasn’t the only thing he noticed. Looking around, there weren’t just tiny drops of morning dew on the grass, but several puddles scattered all over.

‘_Huh? Did it rain?_’

He glanced at the blonde. Neither of them had a single speck of water on them.

‘_Guess he’s just that hot, huh?_’ He softly snickered at his own pun.

He knew he probably had a few jobs to do, but instead of standing up, he just laid back down, wrapping an arm around the musician’s waist and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Unbeknownst to Hermes, Apollo smiled, and that wasn’t the only detail he missed. The vine that had made him trip was gone, like it never existed, but what did it matter? All the messenger cared about was going back to sleep.


	12. Just Another Day (Persephone)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's just pretty short

“Ah, Persephone!-” Demeter sighed.

“She’ll be fine.” The voice was Hera’s, who approached holding two cups of ambrosia.

“Well yes, but she could’ve at least told me where she was going to run off to.”

Olympus was loud and crowded, slurred laughter echoing across the halls; tables adorned with ambrosia and all sorts of earthly delicacies. The muses danced on gilded floors; their voices accompanied by Apollo’s and the strings of his golden lyre.

The goddess watched as her daughter walked through the crowd, returning every hello with a greeting of her own, until Hermes swiftly glided into Persephone’s view.

“Looks like somebody’s a little late.”

She stopped, meeting his gaze and smiled. It’s been about two weeks since she’s been able to properly hang out with anyone. “Spring’s a busy season. I didn’t miss anything, did I?”

“Nothing important-” “Oh, but before anything else…” Hermes’ voice dropped into a whisper.

“Oh?” The goddess feigned surprise. “Don’t tell me _you_ did that?”

“Do you want me to?” He raised an eyebrow and laughed, grinning with a certain glint in his eyes. “Your mom told you?”

“Not who it was; said I should find out when they come forward and tell me themselves.” She sighed. “I assume you won’t tell me either.”

“They’re not not not not an Olympian, I’ll give you that.”

“Huh.” _Now_ she was curious, but she didn’t let her sudden interest show. “Anyway, would you at least tell me where the others are?”

“Of course! Right this way my dear asphodel.”

“Wait, there aren’t any mud tracks, right?”

“Yep, no dirt trail in sight!”

The queen curiously eyed her sister as she handed her a drink. “What’s with that smile, Dia Thea?”

“…They grow up rather quickly, don’t they?”

\----

Listening to both Phoebus’ and the Muses’ melodies was like watching them paint with all sorts of colors, brushes and techniques that perfectly harmonized into one of the most beautiful murals you’ve ever seen. There was something else that had caught the goddess’ attention however; as she picked up a plate of one of the dishes she wanted to eat.

“Whatcha thinking about, Ares?” Persephone asked.

The god of war blinked. “Just bored. Nothing that interesting has happened yet.”

“Well, I just saw Hermes talking with Eris a few minutes ago but they disappeared before I could get any closer.”

Then someone else sighed, it was Athena.

“Hopefully they’re not planning anything _too _chaotic.”

Ares scoffed. “The more insane, the better. Every year this celebration’s just father bragging with our uncles and that blonde showing off.” He motions to Apollo who had smuggest look on his face when he nailed that high note.

Persephone took a bite out of her meal. “To be fair, if you had that range you’d show off too.”

He eyed her dish. “What even is that, anyway?”

“Secret.” She grinned. “I’ll tell you this though; some of the seeds in here could easily be very toxic if not handled properly.”

Athena raised an eyebrow. “That’s a little… ominous.”

The earth goddess quickly cleared her plate and placed it back on the table.

“Hey Athena, can I borrow that?” She points at the helmet on top of the war goddess’ head. “Actually, maybe a sword and a spear too.”

“And… why, exactly??”

“I’m bored, and Ares said he’s bored so...” She points the spear Athena summoned for her at her brother’s face. “Come on, first one to get stabbed loses!”

Ares laughed. “Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

“Fine, first one to trip and fall loses… coward!”

“Look, I don’t want to get skinned alive by your mom! Also, no cheating so no plant powers.”

Athena sighed, _again_. “At least do this outside.”

\----

Hermes leaned against one of the marble columns. “Who do you bet’s gonna mess up first, Pal?”

“Oh Persephone, a hundred percent.”

That answer caught Artemis off guard. “Athena? Siding with Ares??”

“Well no, but he’s still a god of war. Persephone is obviously powerful in her own right, but this is far from her skill-set.”

“What about you goldie?” He managed to place his arm on Apollo’s head as if it was an arm rest while the musician was sitting down on one of the steps.

“Don’t you think that would be cheating if _I_ of all people said something?” The blonde glanced at his brother, his voice dripping with annoyance.

His twin, on the other handed, was confused. “I thought your prophecy powers were extremely unpredictable and usually about really important life-changing stuff?”

“Well…” He muttered. “Sometimes you don’t have to have supernatural foresight to know what’s about to happen.” And she could’ve sworn she even saw him wink.

Her suspicions were further exemplified by that fact that Hermes was somehow… gone. She glanced around, but all she saw were the other half-siblings that had come to watch; not a single Hermes in sight.

Then before she could say anything else, Ares swore and acted like an invisible insect just bit his foot. Persephone used the opportunity swing at his leg with the blunt side of the spear as hard as she could.

Athena wheezed, quickly covering her mouth to try and suppress the laugh. Artemis jumped and a few of the other deities started chuckling too, if not because of Ares, because of Athena’s sudden outburst.

Persephone was just as surprised as everyone else that she actually won, and looked rather smug about it. Meanwhile, Ares got up and glared at the goddess of wisdom. “YOU DID SOMETHING!”

“I can’t believe you actually loss to Persephone… but no, I did _not _have anything to do with that. I just gave her two weapons and a helmet.”

“Pal isn’t lying, actually.” Apollo smiled innocently. “And neither am I when I say that I was also not the god who did that.”

“So you admit that _someone _did it?!”

Apollo just shrugs, while Hermes sat beside him with a shit eating grin. Artemis blinked, wondering where he had been, when it suddenly hit her. Ares must’ve came to a similar conclusion too as he soon started glaring at Hermes instead.

Before he could go up and strangle him, Persephone placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay wait how about this, since you lost, I just want you to answer this one question and you better answer it honestly.”

She whispered something into his ear.

There was a short moment of silence.

“…Yes.”

Her eyes perked up. “Who-”

“Sorry Perse, you only said I should answer one question. Now if you excuse me-”

And with that Ares ran off, chasing after the brother that immediately started sprinting for his life. Now she was the one that cursed.

“What was the whispering about?” Artemis asked, as Persephone walked back onto the palace’s golden floor.

“Nothing important.”

\----

They were back near one of the tables; the goddess of spring holding a cup of nectar. “Where’re the other muses?”

“My sisters?” Calliope glanced around. “We’ve spread out-”

“Hey, guess who’s back!” Hermes popped out of nowhere, now standing in front of them.

Apollo raised an eyebrow. “Where is Ares?”

“Who knows? Not me, and hopefully it stays that way. Also-” “Say Perse… You wouldn’t happen to know who left that trail of mud over there now, would you?” He motioned over to the tiny brown patches on the floor behind her.

She definitely remembered checking to make sure her sandals were dirt free when she stepped back inside. She also couldn’t help but notice a small speck of dirt on the tip his nose. “Nope, I think not.”

“Well…” Apollo raised an eyebrow, flicking off said dirt on his brother’s nose. “Evidence seems to suggest-” “WHAT IN THE NAME OF ZEUS?!”

Hermes suddenly bit his finger, to which the musician promptly retracted his hand and smacked his brother’s face so hard he fell, back-first, onto the ground. Despite the small _“O-” “Ow”_, the younger god was just laughing his ass off and the two goddesses snickered.

“You okay there buddy?” Persephone outstretched her hand, helping him up, while Calliope wrapped an arm around Apollo’s shoulder, giving him a few pats in case he was thinking about committing homiecide.

Now Hermes was the one that made a face. “Ew, pda.”

In response, the muse chose to wrap an arm around the blonde’s waist and pulled him in even closer.

Persephone smiled; just another day in Olympus.

She missed this.


	13. The Obligatory Beach Episode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this is crack, I'm trying to get into writing again

The sun shone bright and high on the afternoon sky as the crystal waves crashed into the sand.

Poseidon and Zeus were surfing; the god of the sea trying to use all sorts of subtle tricks to make his brother fail every time. Ares, Artemis, Athena and Hermes were having a good ole round of beach volley ball. Apollo was laying down, wearing shades of course, and chatting with Persephone and Aphrodite while they built a sand castle on top of him. Dionysus and Hephaestus were drinking wine under the shade, with Hades not too far off; trying to make sure he doesn’t get any sand stuck in between his toes. In the meantime, the barbeque was under the care of all three of Kronos’ daughters, along with some other snacks while they shared each other’s stories. Some of the minor gods were here too, like Hebe cheering on her siblings in the volley ball game and Iris walking around with a drink in her hand.

As you can see, things were surprisingly peaceful, well, at least _for now_.

It just so happened that eventually Zeus was sick of his brother’s bullshit and decided to try to find something else to do that would hopefully be more <strike>advantageous for him</strike> fair for the both of them. When they got back on land, the god’s eyes shifted towards the volleyball resting on the sand. It seems that his kids were on a break.

“Okay, how about we have… a volleyball game?”

“Just us? Ehhhh, how about we add some more? Maybe… two each?”

“Oh, gladly. Apollo! Athena!”

He got a single, unanimous response. “NO.”

“…I’ll give both of you a day off each?”

“…”

“A week off-”

And just like that, they were now standing beside him on one side of the volleyball court. (Ignore the complaints of Persephone about her damaged sand castle and Hermes’ faint grumbles of wanting that week off too.)

Now it was Poseidon’s turn, but before he even spoke, Artemis and Ares eagerly volunteered.

Hermes’ frown turned into a curious grin. “Oh-” “Ohhhh… Oh, this is gonna be _fun_.” He disappeared for a minute before coming back with a camera around his neck. Hestia, on the other hand, was already trying to convince all the mortals in the beach to evacuate and go home early. In other words, most of them were anticipating the worse, but how bad could it possibly be?

Well, only one way to find out. <strike>Time to spin the wheel and roll the dice.</strike>

Before anything else though, Athena got Zeus and Poseidon to swear on the river Styx not to use their elemental prowess during the game.

The first round started out fine. Zeus served, and Poseidon managed to send it back, which was then countered by Athena, then Ares, then Athena again, then Artemis, then Apollo… It was actually kinda fun to watch with how fast the ball was moving. It ended with a point going to Poseidon’s side when the ball hit Apollo’s leg, causing him to trip.

“Oops, my bad.” Artemis apologized, without much remorse, while going to get the ball.

The god glared and got up, dusting the sand off his body. Later, in the second round, Apollo did a spike that definitely wasn’t supposed to be an act of revenge that somehow hit Ares square in the chest instead, making him fall back-first on the sand.

“Oh shit-” “That wasn’t on purpose I swear-” He stopped when the war god sent the ball hurling right back at him, but luckily he moved out of the way at the last second. Unfortunately, that meant that the ball ended up wrecking the barbeque.

Before anyone else could react, Hera grabbed it and spiked it back, hitting Zeus on the head so hard he actually ended up falling on the net, breaking it. “ACH-” “HEY! Why me? What did _I_ do?!”

“Well shit.” Athena glanced at her father. “I suppose that ends the game.”

“Wait, I have an idea…” Poseidon picked up the volleyball. “Let’s play something else instead.”

“That is..?”

“Well… Anyone up for some dodge ball!?” He threw it at Athena, who just side-stepped out of the way, causing it to hit Hermes on the face and crush the camera he was holding.

“Hermes!” Apollo immediately rushed over, one of the few times he genuinely sounded concerned in this entire mess, and scooped him up to go where Dio and Heph are while the messenger whined about all the lost footage.

Meanwhile, Zeus had already stood up, holding the ball. “Oh if it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get!” He launched it towards Ares, who summoned his shield at just the right moment, the ball bounced off, and it would’ve hit an unsuspecting Apollo if Artemis hadn’t pulled out her bow. Instead, her golden arrow had unintentionally guided the ball to create a giant crater in what was supposed to be Persephone’s newly fixed sand castle.

“OH, COME ON!”

Aphrodite patted her on the back as Hephaestus walked over to offer his help in rebuilding it, _again_.

Demeter frowned and sighed. “Okay, that’s enough please!-” “Ah!” Someone had thrown the volleyball, hitting her left hand and landing on a plate of spaghetti. She looked at the direction of where it came from, glaring at Hades, but the god of the underworld looked just as shocked as she was.

“Wha-” “Hey look, I know what it looks like and why you might think that I did it but I did NOT-” He got cut off by a wave of sand and a few stray drops of tomato sauce and pasta getting into both his robes and his hair. Demeter didn’t throw it, she kicked it over. The god looked horrified as there was a faint echo of laughter and glared back at the grain goddess.

Persephone felt bad because she saw that it was Eris who did it this time, but even she had to suppress a small giggle. “You know, literal centuries have passed. When will you two ever make up? Or, no maybe not that but at least, like, leave each other alone?”

“Huh?” Dionysus blinked. “Wait I heard something something make out-”

Hermes burst out laughing while Apollo face palmed and Persephone gagged. Fortunately for Demeter, she hadn’t heard what the wine god said, but Hades did and he looked like he wanted to vomit. He kicked the ball, but instead of hitting Dio, it landed right on Hermes’ face _again_, and the two brothers next to him almost swore as loud as he did with the sudden rush of sand. Apollo coughed a little, before turning to Hermes.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Ugh, ya think?” He held a hand over his face. “I think… I think I broke my nose again.”

Apollo moved Hermes’ hand away, examining his face, and just did what he did before; that is, give him a small peck on the nose because apparently that works.

A few moments passed before Dionysus cleared his throat. “You know, I can go rent a room if you’re going to keep on staring at each other like that.”

The messenger blushed while the blonde just ignored him, glancing around like he was looking for something. “Where’s the ball?”

“Uhhhh, over here.” Dio passes the volleyball to his brother. “Why?”

Apollo stared at it for a second, at which the ball suddenly burst into flames. Speaking of the ball, the only reason it’s still intact at this point is because Hephaestus made it specifically to withstand the strength of all the gods. 

“Um… bro?” The messenger nervously eyed the miniature sun. “What’re you doing?”

“Something I should’ve tried a long time ago.” And with that he tossed the ball. It was quite the impressive throw really, travelling all the way to the other side of the beach until it ended up hitting Eros’ back with the heat of a G-type main-sequence star. The bastard yelled and quickly ran off into the water or else his wings would start catching fire. Thankfully, to Psyche’s relief, the ball immediately stopped burning the second the deed was done.

There were a few more victims of the deadly volleyball that day as more and more gods used it to ruin someone’s day. Of course, it immediately had to end the second someone accidentally hit Hebe on the shoulder.

Oh well, just another day in being immortal.


	14. Tired (Apollo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May or may not be kinda connected with that one hermapollo fic. Idk, school’s here and I guess I made this

He remembers his first moments of existence; the utter silence and the warmth that gently cradled him in that crowded void.

Sometimes there were voices, but there was only one that truly caught both of the twins’ attention; Leto’s sweet honey-toned songs and tales of gods and monsters… Until, one day, it _wasn’t_ her voice.

The greeting spoken by this creature was already a little alarming in itself but its voice… Oh, how could one even begin to describe it? The stutters, the sneers, the hiss, and the threats whispered into their ears… It made every listener’s skin tingle with fear.

Then she fled, and ran with all her might. There was no stop, no rest, until the boy had a vision, and Delos grated them refuge, hidden from the monster’s sight.

Artemis came out quick, but her brother did not.

But all of that? It wasn’t enough.

The twins dreamed of something more…

The twins dreamed of their own Olympian thrones.

It was mostly for their mother’s sake, sprinkled in with a large dose of ambition inherited from their dear father.

Speaking of their father, when the time came and the young boy was standing over the corpse of a serpent much larger than he, even the word bias became an understatement. Of course, that’s not to say he wasn’t proud of Artemis when she fired her own volley of arrows at Tityos.

Even then, that wasn’t the end of it, as Gaia demanded that Python’s killer be punished with eternal damnation in Tartarus…

———

It was then that Apollo blinked, briefly snapping out of the haze. What was he doing again? Though, does it really matter?

He was laying on a field of flowers, the sky dark and his hand hovering over the strings of his lyre.

…the fuck was he doing here?

For once, that answer didn’t take long to rediscover, for Hermes was curled up against his side, an arm wrapped around his waist and the winged cap covering most of his eyes. Guess the bastard managed to fall asleep after all; lucky him.

There was something else though; a sound that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.

Was that… rain?

He was about to scoop up his bro and summon his chariot when he realized…

Yes, it was raining and it was loud enough to make the messenger murmur and inch even closer. However, despite the droplets dripping from the cypress trees and nourishing all the nearby poppies and hyacinths… there was not a single speck of water on the gods themselves.

Father was watching, or, more likely, at some point in the evening, he noticed these two laying outside in the garden and made sure that the clouds above them were as light as they could be. It was tempting to ask, but Apollo remembered that opening up that connection with him would give the lightning-bearer access to _all _of his current thoughts.

He wanted to stand and walk around, but he didn’t want to just leave Hermes behind; not that he could do that without waking him up anyway.

Instead, he set his lyre aside and decided to try closing his eyes.

The god started to drift again, to when he and Artemis first stepped into Olympus. Gods, how long ago was that? How many centuries?

There was no war, no visions, no mortal lovers, no music contests and no laurels adorning his hair. Aphrodite didn’t marry, Persephone still roamed the earth, Athena was a voice in their father’s head, Dionysus hadn’t been suffering through hell, and Hermes had yet to steal his cows- I mean, he didn’t even have a herd of cows.

…

Well, technically, the same could still be said of the present.

There’s no war, no visions, no current mortal lovers, no music contests, and he wasn’t wearing his crown of laurels. Aphrodite was unwed, Persephone roamed the earth with her mother, Athena was a voice of reason for their father, Dionysus was somewhere having the time of his life, and Hermes was hugging him, not stealing his cows.

…

Was it just him or did something move? Had the messenger already woke up? Was it morning _already_?

Apollo didn’t want to open his eyes yet, but he almost did when he felt a soft peck on his lips.

Living as an immortal is exhausting, but hey, if he had the lifespan of a mortal, he wouldn’t have gotten that kiss and… he wouldn’t have gotten a lot of other things actually.

He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No I didn't write this to make myself feel better hahahahaha what're you talking about?


	15. The Golden Apple Incident but-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly writing this felt like writing a glorified shitpost-

Olympus’ garden was breath-taking; bioluminescent flowers blooming under Selene’s far-reaching gaze as the immortals were having the time of their lives, drunkenly singing under the serene night sky.

Hermes couldn’t help but subtly gaze back at Apollo every now and then, who was talking with one of the muses, when someone caught him off guard by wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He instantly knew who it was the second he smelled the wine in his breath.

“Jealous?~” Dionysus wiggled his eyebrows.

Hermes scoffed. “Jealous of what?”

Dionysus motioned back to the nine sisters. Calliope had her arms wrapped around Apollo’s neck while the god had just given her a small kiss. Hermes rolled his eyes, but, oh little did he know, he was faintly blushing.

The younger brother sighed.

“Look man, if you’re going to keep this up, then you‘re absolutely _hopeless_. I mean, at this point literally everyone except the distracted blonde you haven’t confessed to knows that you want a piece of that-”

“Hahahaha, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, have you seen Eris? I heard she wasn’t-”

“Hey, don’t change the subject!”

“It’s not what you think! I swear I was just slightly… concerned? I don’t know, he seems a lil off and Cal can prolly sense it too-”

“Pft, excuses excuses-”

Then it happened.

The festivities were suddenly interrupted by their father’s voice thundering across the garden.

“AH-” “What’s this?!”

On his hand he held out an apple as if it was made of pure solid gold. The fruit had struck him on the nose while he was chatting with his siblings. It glimmered and sparkled under the ambient moonlight as if it was enticing all of the immortals to come and have a closer look.

“It… has something engraved onto it? Hold on-” He cleared his throat, and now all eyes were on the king.

“‘It is with my greatest pleasure to present this apple to the loveliest god of them all, a trophy that will stand the test of time, a symbol of the lord’s unrivalled beauty and allure.’”

Whispers echoed throughout the venue, jumping from ear to ear. Now, of course, Zeus would’ve gladly declared himself ownership of the gift as it _was_ thrown at his face. However, barely had a minute passed when the apple was already gone; snatched out of Zeus’ hands by the god of love whose wings immediately threw him up into air as he curiously stared at the prize he was about to award to himself.

“Still the same old insolent piece of shit, huh?”

A golden arrow whizzed out of nowhere, fired from a silver bow and carried by the evening breeze. It narrowly missed Eros’ head and pinned the fruit against one of the trees.

Eros flew after the apple as fast as he could, but by the time he managed to grab a hold of it, there was already another hand, from the archer god himself, and neither party seemed willing to let go.

He hissed. “You arrogant bastard.”

Apollo replied with a shit-eating grin. “Oh please, look whose talking.”

There was one single thought in Hermes’ head. ‘_Oh boy._’ He tried to get even closer, running to where Ares and Aphrodite were. He just _had_ to see this.

“Wait!” Athena interrupted, as she was a teensy bit worried that those two were about to murder each other. “This all feels a little… off. We don’t even know where that apple came from-”

“Don’t know; don’t care Misses killjoy!” Eros rolled his eyes. “I can assure you that I sense no malicious auras or weird obscure magic so, perhaps this really is just a gift from some fanatic, at which I am extremely flattered-”

Apollo laughed. “Really, you?? Why on earth would anyone give this to a saucy twink who’s barely taller than Hermes?”

The messenger frowned at the mentioned of his height. Ares gave him a few pats on the back while Dionysus, Artemis and a few other gods snickered. Athena just sighed like she gave up and doesn’t want to involve herself any further. On the other hand, Zeus had stopped trying to come up with a scheme to take back the fruit the second he saw his son want it too. Still though, the way Eros’ and Apollo’s fingers twitched, almost like they wanted to break each other’s necks, was starting to get kind of concerning.

“Okay okay please calm down, both of you.” The last thing Zeus wants is someone’s ichor to be spilled in the middle of a goddamn wedding. “How about-”

“Since you’re the king of the gods, that you be the judge of whoever is deserving to have this apple?” Apollo smiled. “What a wonderful idea father!”

Eros took advantage of that brief distraction of Apollo addressing his father to take the apple and throw it towards his dear mother. “Look, I know he’s usually the one who calls all the final shots, but don’t you think it’d be more fitting to let the literal goddess of _beauty_ decide?”

Zeus thought about it, but decided that choosing between his favorite son and the bastard that could make his libido act up again was a terrible idea. Even Aphrodite herself seemed hesitant to choose and handed the fruit over to Ares because he and Hermes wanted a closer look.

“Uhm, no. I think my very obvious biases would make me one of the least fitting judges for that matter; same goes for Aphrodite. How about… let a mortal who is not part of any of your cults decide, and to _please_ swear not to endanger their life over this.”

The two gods gave each other a brief death glare before reluctantly agreeing to Zeus’ suggestion.

“Good. Now, where did that apple go?”

They all turned towards Ares, who _didn’t_ have the golden fruit in his hands.

“Dad.” Eros stared. “Where’s the apple?”

“Let’s just say… I got hungry.”

There was a long pause before Eros continued.

“C-Come again?”

“I said what I said; I got hungry and that apple was right there and I got curious so, yeah. Surprisingly tasty-”

“I’m sorry,” Athena just had to interject. “But did you just admit to eating a lump of gold?!”

“Bold of you to assume that would stop the god that broke a chicken’s femur when he bit into its thigh.”

The goddess couldn’t tell if he was faking it and therefore hiding something or if he was actually very serious. Now she really did give up listening in to this conversation and proceeded to walk off to wherever Persephone and Artemis were. It was probably for the best, as it almost looked like she was losing more and more brain cells the longer this situation went on.

Apollo raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Meanwhile, Eros was struggling to process what the fuck just happened. He flew over to Hermes who was trying his best _not_ to laugh his ass off.

“Hermes, do you have something to do with this? Did you steal it??”

“Huh? No, why the hell would _I _want to steal it?? I may be cocky, but not that kind of self-aggrandizing cocky. I don’t have the golden apple with me.”

Eros narrowed his eyes. “How do I know you’re not-”

“Because he isn’t, all of what Hermes just said is true.” Despite the contents of what he said being perfectly harmless, Apollo sounded like he was about to brake Eros’ back the moment he saw the god of love reach into his quiver.

Eros backed off. “Okay okay, but then what? Is that it?!”

The blonde shrugged. “It appears so.”

“Why do you suddenly act like you don’t care??”

“I mean, of course having a pretty golden apple say you’re the best is great, but in my case it’s kind of unnecessary, isn’t it? Like, _duh_.” There it was again, that shit-eating grin. “Honestly, it was mostly because I didn’t want YOU to have it and gods fucking forbid you use it to constantly annoy me for the rest of eternity.”

\---------------------------------

Despite the incident that had killed the mood a few minutes ago, the party seemed to be back in full swing now that Aphrodite took Eros back to wherever Psyche was. It was almost like nothing had ever happened.

Hermes, however, was interested in separating himself from everyone else as far as he possibly could, and he had dragged Apollo along with him until they were deep in some obscure part of the garden.

The messenger let out a nervous laugh. “Okay I have something I need to tell you.”

“That what Ares said, even though I can definitely see him doing it just to piss me off, was a red herring and that he hid the apple somewhere before giving it back to you once Aphrodite got Eros to go away?”

“Damn, you know me too well huh?” He took off his hat, revealing the luster of gold resting on his brown chestnut hair.

The archer laughed. “I’m surprised you got him to cooperate.”

“Guess I’m just that likeable! Plus, he owed me one after distracting you for… something.”

“You what-”

The messenger grabbed the apple and placed his cap back on his head. “I didn’t steal it for myself though.” He smiled, “It is with my greatest pleasure to present this apple to the loveliest god of them all, a trophy that will stand the test of time, a symbol of the lord’s unrivalled beauty and allure.” and then offered up the prize to the surprised blonde.

Apollo accepted, mildly flustered. “Is… Is there some sort of ulterior motive to this?”

“I… suppose you could call it that.”

He sighed. “What do you want, Herms?”

“W-Well… it’s nothing big.” There was a sudden faint flush on Hermes’ cheeks. “What about… a kiss?”

The archer stared and the messenger almost started backtracking on his request but, well, the blonde cut him off before he could, with a soft peck on his lips.


	16. More bros fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas, tis but very short- I don't rlly know what to write tbh. Maybe I'll either try continuing that one apollo fic stuck in hitaus hell or some other one shot idea

The first thing he heard when he stepped inside was the blonde’s exasperated sigh.

“Really?” Apollo, gave him a look, motioning to the spot on the carpet that was slowly getting more soaked by the second. “You couldn’t have at least bothered to use an umbrella?”

“I-I… forgot?”

“You mean you saw a thunderstorm and it never occurred to you that you might-”

“Look, it’s not like we actually need it. Sickness ain’t something we need to worry about anyway!-”

“Just-” “Just go change, please. You’re leaving a trail of puddles on the floor.”

The messenger rolled his eyes and, with that, he walked off into his room. Olympus’ halls were unusually silent tonight; as most of the other gods were outside celebrating whatever it is that they’re celebrating this time. Once he was done changing, he immediately went to find Apollo and found him sitting in front of the central hearth.

“Where’s Aunt Hestia?” Hermes sat down not that far from him.

“Outside, along with everyone else I assume.”

“And how come you’re_ not_?”

“…Because I don’t want to? It’s not like parties are a rare occurrence so what does it matter if I skip one? I mean, you’re here too.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Only because I was looking for you.”

“What, to use me as your personal huggable heater?”

Hermes froze, as he had just moved an inch closer. “N-No..?”

“…You haven’t been trying to get hypothermia on purpose now, have you? Just because the warm hugs feel nice?”

“Pft, what makes you say that?”

“Well, maybe because this is suddenly happening _very often_.”

Hermes just laughed and the blonde sighed, _again_. Despite that, Apollo still went on ahead and wrapped an arm around the messenger’s waist, pulling him even closer until their sides were touching.

“Awww, you like it too, don’t you?” Hermes grinned, with a faint flush on his face.

“And you‘re lucky I do or else I would’ve already punched you a minute ago.”


	17. Grey-Eyed Goddess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no this is gonna be a multiparter cause I’m impatient and also I can’t think of a better title-

The goddess’ earliest memories were never truly hers, but her father’s.

It was a small little crew: Zeus, a goat, a pair of Ash-Tree nymphs, the Kouretes, his mother and that tiny voice of wisdom.

Those days were tense, but also simple and carefree. Of course there was the constant looming threat of Kronos, but, in the early days of his youth, Zeus was also allowed to do whatever he wished; sparing, running, flirting, you name it, and the voice was there with him through it all. Well, except when there was kissing involved; it wanted nothing to do with that. It was always silent when it came to his more… romantic moments.

The Titanomachy was an arduous 10-year long effort, but in the end the lighting bearer finally won himself the crown. He even got married, well, thrice that is. Themis was the first, Hera was who he ended up settling down with, and Metis…

The Titan had yet to actually be pregnant when Zeus swallowed her whole, despite the few times he had slept with her, and if she was then she would’ve bore that_ fated son_.

Nevertheless, she had a daughter.

_Athena_.

At last, the voice finally had a name, and a mother.

Still, at this stage, she remained but a mere thought and a personification of her father’s common sense. Aside from her parents, no one else knew of her presence until one sunny day…

_(Hie Paian, Hie Paian!)_

It was quite the calm morning in Olympus.

_(Hie Paian, Hie Paian!)_

But in Delphi, things were a little more… interesting.

_As the god that will deliver their prophecies” _The lightning bearer said to her, in his head. _“Don’t you think he should have quick access to my plans and all that I intend to do with humankind?”_

_‘That seems practical.’ _She replied._ ‘And, judging from your tone, you already have something in mind?’_

_“See, what if, to make it as convenient as it could possibly be, I give him direct access to my thoughts?”_

_‘You-’ ‘You already trust him **that** much?’_

_…_

Her first look at the twins was when they were each seated on their father’s lap, listing down all of their desired gifts.

_‘You’re spoiling them-’_

_“Oh shush, you’re just jealous~”_

She sighed. To be fair, they had each defeated their own powerful foe; Python and Tityos. She can see why Zeus would want to reward them, but to her, this seemed rather excessive. If anything, she felt like the twins had just took advantage of him.

Unfortunately, Gaea suddenly demanded Apollo’s head as compensation for the death of that serpent, her daughter. Luckily, Zeus managed to reach a compromise. However, before he sent his son into his temporary exile…

_“Apollo, allow me to introduce to you your sister”_

Apparently the blonde wasn’t that shocked at the idea of a sentient voice inside your head, so linking his thoughts with theirs went smoother than expected.

_‘You remind me of him, our father, I mean.’ _She told him once._ ‘Both of you are impulsive and stupidly stubborn’_

_“Oh? Is that a roundabout way of saying you think I’d make a great king?”_

_‘No, quite the opposite actually.’_

_“Now wait, hold on a second!” Their father raised an eyebrow. “Are you implying I’m...”_

Apollo laughed and, despite only being an incorporeal voice inside his head, Zeus could’ve sworn his daughter smirked.

By the time he finally returned to Olympus, Apollo was a tall young adult with blonde hair well past his shoulders, and their father welcomed him with open arms.

Even back in the age of the Titans, Athena had always had an urge be a goddess with her own physical body. Now that, unlike Ares, she actually had a brother that was starting to hog all of their father’s attention, that longing for freedom only got worse. Plus, she wants to be able to fight and stab people too.

_‘Let’s see who gets to brag about being the best after I kick your ass.’_

Metis was well aware of this, _all _of this, and it wasn’t long before she told Athena what she could do to get out of her father’s head.

\---------------------

Nike frowned. “My lord, are you alright?”

Zeus grimaced. “Of course! Nothing but a little headache.”

“Are you sure? I could go get Apollo…”

Alas, when the blonde arrived even he didn’t know what to do and could only suggest that his father go rest for a bit.

Then he heard a voice. 

Maybe that the pounding inside his father’s head was more literal than he had originally thought.

_‘Father, I am terribly sorry for the pain I am most probably causing right now but I can’t stand being stuck in here any longer!’_

Zeus wasn’t sure how to react. _“And this was the only course of action you can think of??”_

For a moment Apollo was silent, but he agreed. _“Well, you’ll never know if you don’t try. Hold on, maybe I can try to help you from the outside.”_

_“I’m sorry, WHAT?!-”_

And with that Apollo left, leaving his father shocked, and dragged Nike along with him to explain the situation.

…

“Wait, you want me to crack open father’ skull??”

It was Ares. Nike had suggested finding Ares.

“Yes. Will you-”

“Gladly!”

Zeus was far from enthusiastic, especially now that one of his sons was standing in front of him, eagerly holding a giant battle axe.

“WAIT.” The king frowned. “I thought you were going to get some sort of medical equipment not-”

“Father, we’re not trying to extract a tumor.” Apollo wasn’t worried in the slightest. “I’m afraid drilling a tiny hole is far from big enough.”

“Besides, you’re Zeus!” The goddess of Victory smiled comfortingly. “You’ll be fine!”

The axe was swiftly brought down, and with a loud thud-

She’ll never forget what happened next.

Out of the crack leapt a young adult with long black hair tied up in a bun, piercing grey eyes, and limbs covered in armor that shimmered under the sunlight. She seemed to be as tall as Apollo and Ares, and spoke like a confident general.

“So it really was that simple. In that case, I should’ve tricked him into getting his skull cracked ages ago.”

Zeus, who was getting his head patched up by the blonde, gave her a look.

Ares narrowed his eyes. “Let me guess, another half-sibling?”

“...I suppose you could call it that.” She glanced at the archer. “Thank you, by the way.”

“Uh, you’re welcome?” The war god was just happy that he got to cross something out of his bucket list and walked away.

“Apollo” Nike whispered. “You _know_ her??”

“Want me to introduce you?” He raised an eyebrow, beaming and Nike had to resist the urge to smack that grin out of his face.

“Hey don’t get any ideas.”

“Oh.” The grey-eyed goddess overheard their conversation. “That’s right, an introduction, I almost forgot. It’s Athena, a pleasure to meet you Nike.”

“The feeling is mutual.” She was surprised she already knew her name, but remembered that the goddess leapt out of Zeus’ skull. “If I may ask, how long have you been stuck in there?”

“It’s... complicated.”

And so the three gods spent the rest of the day walking around Olympus, Apollo and Athena answering any questions Nike threw at them.

…

Once Zeus had fully recovered, he told Zephyr to call all the deities into a meeting to formally introduce his new daughter. It was also here that Athena decided to publicly recite an oath, the vow of chastity.

Hestia was just happy to greet a new child into the family. The rest of Zeus’ siblings were indifferent, even Hera surprisingly (at least, on the surface anyway.) On the other hand, the other kids’ expressions were a lot more varied.

Zeus ended it with asking Poseidon to forward a request to Triton.

“Father, may I ask you something?” Athena said when everyone else was out of the room.

“Yes?”

“Why.”

“…is this about sending you to Triton?”

“…”

“…”

“Are… _Are you babying me??_”

“Oh. My. Gods.” Calliope whispered, peaking in through the throne room’s entrance. “If she were blonde, I could definitely see someone mistaking her for Apollo-”

Her lover quietly elbowed her, while Ares and Nike snorted. Persephone suppressed a giggle.

It was then that Artemis snuck up behind them. “Wait, are you eavesdro-” but she was interrupted by a synchronized “Shhhhhh.”

“Wellllll?” Athena raised an eyebrow.

Zeus frowned. “While you’re very well acquainted with my duties and the things Apollo help me with, physically… well it’s not that I doubt your strength! Just that it wouldn’t hurt to take some time away to train and refine your skills.”

“Sure but then why not just train here?” She briefly glanced to the entrance, at Apollo and Nike. “It’s not as if there’s a lack of space for such.”

“Oh shit.” Nike muttered. “She knows we’re here.”

“Yeah, well, you can thank Art for that-” The archer god was cut off by his twin pinching him in the arm. “Hey-” “Ow!”

Their father sighed. “Call it a favor to prevent your half-siblings annoying you until the end of eternity about some embarrassing mistake.” He also glanced at the doorway which made Persephone and co. quickly scurry off.

Nike and Apollo stayed.

“You sure, father?” Apollo said. “I don’t think that would do much to reduce the potential amount of blackmail, not that I would know anything about that. I just… have a strong feeling is all.”

Athena glared. The blonde innocently grinned and continued. “Hey, you’ve already got a hefty amount of ammunition against me too due to your time inside father’s head. It’s only fair-”

“Okay okay,” Zeus looks straight into Athena’s eyes. “Those aren’t the only cause for sending you there. Who did you think you were going to train under, Ares?? Not that he’s terrible at what he does, but... let’s just say I have someone else in mind. I’d teach you myself but I’m sure you’re already well aware of how busy I can be.”

“Aw, don’t worry Athe! No matter how long it takes, we’re not going anywhere, so take your time and spend as many days with your training buddy as the Fates permit!” The archer said, hoping his smile didn’t feel forced.

…

Now they were genuinely alone.

Athena wanted to ask one last question.

“That connection I had with you, the same one that allows Apollo to hear what you think, it’s not there.”

“I know.”

The goddess was silent.

“What’s the matter?” Zeus frowned. “Does it frighten you?”

“O-” “Of course not! Why would it?”

“…I just assumed you’d want to experience what it’s like without that nagging voice in your head. I’ll restore the connection when you get back.”

“…alright.”

…

“Everything okay, Phoebus?” Nike was curious, and slightly concerned.

“Let’s just say that…” He paused. 

“My prophecy powers are acting up again.”


	18. Basically incomplete Herseus-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I am lost, I’ve been struggling with how to write this thing, but at least this feels somewhat cohesive? Also that at least there’s an actual Herm and Per interaction now. I dunno when I’m gonna come back to this and try to continue but here it is for now

Being a bastard child of the king of the gods always resulted in _something_ going wrong in your life. His kids always managed to get themselves into trouble one way or another, perhaps a mix of unfortunate circumstances and some traits they inherited from their father. That’s why Zeus often kept a close eye on them, even if Hera didn’t seem to be meddling with anything, and he was far from the only one to give them a helping hand.

This time, Apollo was one of the first to hear of it as, while said event was happening, he still had his thoughts interlaced with those of his father’s.

“Okay here’s the thing.” The blonde was doing what he always did in times like these, gossiping with two of his favorite half-siblings. “I was about to abort, but before I even managed to disconnect, it was already over?? He just descended in a golden shower and then poof! He was gone! He didn’t shapeshift into a human form or anything.”

Hermes raised an eyebrow. “But she still got pregnant?”

“She still got pregnant! I have no idea how-” “how do you even get plea-”

Athena quickly interrupted. “Says the one that had an incident with the Thriae-”

The messenger frowned. “Please don’t remind me-”

Apollo snickered. “Buzz buzz-”

“_Moving on_, who was it this time? You still haven’t mentioned a name.”

“I-” “Uh… I forgot?”

“You, the god of _memory,_ forgot??”

“I suppose it hadn’t properly registered in my head? I was actually kind of… distracted by something else when that happened.”

“And by something, you mean _someone_?”

The archer faintly flushed. “That’s a little assumptive.”

“And based on your reaction, I assume it was probably true.”

“To be fair,” The goddess interjected. “You aren’t any better.”

“I’m not talking about being horny. Actually, it could apply to you too Pal!”

“Excuse me?”

“Even if it’s just platonically, you both tend to get really infatuated with certain mortals. Hell, half of the arguments between you two are just” He starts mimicking their voices. “‘Hah! Did you see that? What a cunning lil shit!’ and then the other going ‘Well clearly you haven’t seen what insert other mortal did!’ It’s either that or about whose patron city is the best.”

The goddess rolled her eyes. “You exaggerate.”

Apollo thought about it. “Ehhhhhh...”

“Aw, no need to be shy! I, for one, think it’s sort of endearing!” But then Hermes noticed his brother was… grinning. “What’s with that look?”

“Oh, nothing I can’t confirm. You know how vague my prophecy powers are.”

…

“So that’s him, huh?” Hermes asked, atop one of Olympus’ many balconies, gazing down into the earth. Athena nodded, standing beside him.

It had been several years since that little conversation with his half-siblings.

The messenger narrowed his eyes. “I guess he _is_ cute.”

His sister sighed, causing the god to laugh.

When they jumped off the ledge, their landing nearly gave poor Perseus a heart attack. He hastily tried to give them the impression that he totally had his shit together. You know, formally greeting them like he was not at all resisting the urge to stare.

It fooled no one. Though, the god thought it was adorable how respectful the demigod tried to be with those tiny glances. 

Athena internally groaned. She was starting to have flashbacks to some of the other errands of helping mortals not die, specifically the ones with Apollo.

“Look, you two can kiss later.” Her voice was stern, an attempt to tell Hermes to keep it professional. “First, let’s get this fetch quest over with.”

“Of course.” He had more than enough trust in his natural looks; still, he spared no pains to smooth his hair and fix his robes. “You see Perseus; you might have to resort to some rather sneaky and underhanded tactics if you want to survive.”

“My lord, I don’t even know where Medusa _is_.”

“And that’s where we come in!” He wraps an arm around the mortal’s shoulders.

“But,” Athena added. “We’re only here to help, not hold your hand and do it for you.”

Before the two immortals started their exposition dump, however, Perseus felt the need to point something out. There was a slight fear that the god might throw him into the ocean, but he was being fairly casual with him so… fuck it.

“You know, you’re a lot more… breathtaking than I thought you’d be.”

“Aw, that’s-”

“And also a lot shorter than I imagined you to be.”

It was then that Athena realized, now that the two men were standing side by side, Perseus was decently tall for a human. He’s not nearly as tall as her, yet still tall enough for Hermes to be around a few centimeters shorter than him.

“What’s with that look? If anything, I think it makes you look even cuter!” The mortal patted the god’s head.

“Hahah… you’re lucky _you’re_ even cuter, and that father wants you back alive.” Hermes smiled, accompanied by one of his least effective death glares, on account of the mild blush. The wings on his head shrunk, fluttering.

Meanwhile Perseus was absolutely beaming, not far from the famous shit-eating grin of the messenger himself. The god would’ve punched it off his face if it weren’t for the fact that he might accidentally break something.

Hermes cleared his throat. “ANYWAY, let’s get back on topic, shall we?”

Athena suppressed the urge of continuing to taunt him. “Yes, the sooner the better; preferably before Hera notices anything.”

“Hera?” The demigod’s smile twitched.

The messenger forced a laugh. “It’s best if you don’t think about it. Don’t worry; Apollo and Persephone are top tier distractions and conversation starters.”

Concept wise, the plan was simple enough.

The execution, on the other hand…

“Oh shi-” “You okay?!” Hermes rushed over to the mortal that accidentally flung himself against a tree, falling back-first onto the ground.

Athena winced. “Maybe lending a spare pair of your sandals isn’t-”

“I’m fine!” Perseus sat up, looking determined. “I swear I just need a few more tries to get used to it!”

“Preferably before you end up cracking a few ribs.” The god nervously chucked, flicking some dirt off the demigod’s face. “Let’s try again, _slowly_.”

He helped him up, a firm grasp on both of Perseus’ hands to prevent him from running himself into the ground.

Surprisingly, the mortal managed to hover some inches over the ground, the messenger matching his pace. Alas, he got too enthusiastic during his small victory and the wings suddenly flew upwards, causing him to panic. Fortunately, Hermes never lost his grip and got dragged up along with him. By the time they got back down, the demigod may or may not have been hugging the god for dear life.

“You okay there bud?” The messenger giggled.

“That… was amazing!” Perseus laughed, delightedly terrified. “Though uh, don’t you think it’d be much more convenient if you just carried me there?”

“What are you, nine?”

Athena snickered. “Unless that’s what you want the poets to sing about?”

“Why not?” Perseus grinned. “I mean, getting personally carried by one of the Olympians? What an honor! Everyone else would be so jealous.”

You see, the word ‘amused’ might’ve not been sufficient enough to describe Hermes’ feelings about the demigod’s boldness, and his half-sister was well aware of this. Even from the god’s voice alone, she could literally hear him smiling. It was the sort of behavior that wasn’t too far off from how he’d act around Apollo or Persephone.

It was this thought that gave her an idea on how to avoid Hera’s wrath.

“Hermes, just keep on practicing with him.” Athena said, starting to walk away. “I’m going to get some of the other items Perseus needs.”

And with that, she was gone.

Her plan involved giving them a lot of time alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's got any ideas, be free to comment anything. I just saw a post that gave me an idea for a dif lil one shot, but some other prompts, if anyone's got any, would be cool too. Speaking of comments, I just wanna say thank you to the ones that have commented some rlly nice stuff, even the kudos or hell, just taking the time to read this mess in the first place. Thanks for indulging me in this stupid hobby


End file.
